An estimated 5,500 people living with HIV in the community have yet to be identified in Ho Chi Minh City, with about 30 percent having high viral load rates that are potentially transmitting the virus to others, according to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Huu Hung.
In Vietnam, since the first infection was detected in 1990 in Ho Chi Minh City, there are 213,008 HIV carriers who are still alive and 107,812 deaths from HIV/AIDS.
The two biggest sponsors of the pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection program was The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. With their support, the program was extended fast, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.
Over 12,000 people nationwide have registered to use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service since its launch in 2017, helping to control HIV infections in the community, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Nearly 13,000 people living with HIV nationwide have been provided with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service over the last two years, helping to control HIV infections in the community.
Considering that there is currently no vaccine for preventing HIV, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service is considered an effective solution to curb the spread of the HIV/AIDS disease.
Vietnam will expand the national programme for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention to 15 more cities and provinces following the positive outcomes of the pilot implementation in 11 localities over the past one year.
Vietnam has made a stride in the fight against HIV/AIDS in recent years, recording a declined number of new newly-diagnosed cases of HIV, those living with and killed by AIDS.
The Thai Red Cross Society has held a seminar following up on PrEP pre-exposure HIV prevention medicine services in Thailand, where the drugs are offered to persons in risk groups, helping them prevent becoming infected.
The Ministry of Health’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control on June 12 delivered the first free pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine to people with high risk of HIV exposure in Ho Chi Minh City.
A facility providing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – PrEP for HIV prevention was inaugurated at the Hanoi Medical University Hospital at No.1 Ton That Tung Street, Hanoi, on May 22.
HCM City needs to develop specific healthcare policies and guidelines for transgender women as HIV prevalence among this group is estimated to be about 19 percent worldwide, according to Dr Hoang Dinh Canh, deputy director of the Vietnam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control.
A total of 1,200 people who are at high risk of contracting HIV have been provided with Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which can reduce the risk of infecting HIV if taken consistently.
Vietnam has been striving to reduce the number of HIV infections and prevent outbreaks in high-risk communities despite a decline in funding from the international community, health officials said.
Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which offers up to 92 percent reduction in the risk of contracting HIV if taken consistently, will be offered on a trial basis to people at high risk, including those in the LGBT community, in Ho Chi Minh City from March 2017 to September 2018.
Thailand and the United States have declared a success in their
research to prevent HIV infections, saying their studies show that the
generic anti-retroviral drug Tenofovir was 74 percent effective.
Health
