Vietnam has long way to go to 90-90-90 targets
Vietnam is far from achieving the 90-90-90 targets set by the United Nations (UN) to end HIV/AIDS by 2020, said Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, head of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control.
Drug users take doses of oral methadone at a HIV/AIDS prevention centre. (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is far from achieving the 90-90-90 targets set by the United Nations (UN) to end HIV/AIDS by 2020, said Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, head of the Ministry of Health’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control.
The UN’s 90-90-90 plan sets three targets: 90 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 percent of all people diagnosed with HIV will receive sustained antiretroviral (ARV) therapy and 90 percent of all people on ARV treatment will have durable viral suppression by 2020.
About 78 percent of HIV carriers in Vietnam know their status. Meanwhile, only 45 percent of HIV-positive people are currently receiving ARV therapy and the number of people on ARV treatment with durable suppression remains unknown due to the country’s inability to perform large-scale testing.
Statistics by the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control show that Vietnam had more than 12,000 new infections and 2,000-3,000 AIDS-related deaths annually, and is home to 227,000 people who have been diagnosed with HIV to date.
However, services for HIV/AIDS prevention and control still lag behind demand. Supplies of condoms and syringes only met 40 to 50 percent of demand, while methadone treatment reached merely 40 percent of targeted 80,000 drug addicts.
Though the country has seen an overall fall in the number of new cases found every year, new infections are increasing in remote and mountainous areas where coverage of HIV treatment and care services remains low, and there is lack of access to information about HIV.
According to Dam Van Huong, Director of the Son La Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, HIV/AIDS communication campaigns and services in the mountainous, northern Son La province are yet to be efficient due to discrimination against people living with HIV, low education levels among residents, poor transportation systems and the lack of local healthcare workers.
It is estimated that the province has about 600 new HIV infections annually. New infections in women and children are on the rise, he noted.
To remove these challenges, Long stressed the need to increase State funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and prioritise efforts for HIV prevention and care in high-risk areas.
Vietnam must also scale up HIV testing programmes in community settings and expand its network of the clinics that perform HIV confirmatory tests at the district level, he added.-VNA
You should also see
Semiconductor workforce development a breakthrough: PM
Human resources development in semiconductors should be considered a breakthrough in personnel training, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a conference in Hanoi on April 24.
See more
Health
First southern pediatric organ transplant centre to become operational in 2025
The first pediatric organ transplant centre in Vietnam’s southern region is scheduled to be completed and put into operation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - 2025).
Health
Free surgeries offered for cleft palate children in Thua Thien-Hue
About 80 children with cleft palate in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue and surrounding localities are to receive free check-ups and surgeries from now until April 18.
Health
Vietnam to host first int’l airway management conference
International airway experts from across the world, including the United Kingdom, United States of America, France, Italy, New Zealand, and experts from Vietnam will gather at the first South East Asian Conference of the World Alliance of Airway Management (WAAM) in Hanoi on April 13-14.
Health
Health insurance coverage necessary for all TB patients: Deputy PM
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on April 8 requested the Ministry of Health to work with the Vietnam Social Security and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to provide health insurance coverage for all tuberculosis (TB) patients.
Health
Blood donation – journey of love sharing
April 7 was designated as the “All People’s Voluntary Blood Donation Day” 24 years ago and, ever since, the blood donation movement has attracted the participation of tens of thousands of people across the country.
