PrEP allows people who do not have HIV but are at substantial risk of infection to prevent HIV by taking a pill every day (Source: nld.com.vn) HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Health’sDepartment of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control on June 12 delivered the firstfree pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medicine topeople with high risk of HIV exposure in Ho Chi Minh City.
This is part of a programmeto deliver the medicine at private medical facilities, marking an importantmilestone in the engagement of private clinics in HIV/AIDS prevention andcontrol efforts in Vietnam.
Galant general clinic was thefirst private facility to involve in the programme. From June 2019, PrEP,funded by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief – (PEPFAR), will be provided to the community.
PrEPallows people who do not have HIV but are at substantial risk of infection toprevent HIV by taking a pill every day, as part of a combination HIV preventionstrategy. When taken correctly, the treatment would reduce the risk of HIVinfection via unsafe sex by 90 percent or via injection drug use by 70 percent.
The service helps ease the dependence on physical measuresto prevent HIV transmission such as condom or safe syringe.
Earlier on May22, a facility providing PrEP for HIV prevention was inaugurated atthe Hanoi Medical University Hospital.
Currently,Vietnam has 230,000 people living with HIV, 20 percent of whom are in Ho ChiMinh City.
It isalarming that while HIV infections are reduced significantly in groups withhigh risks such as drug addicts (from 29-30 percent to 9-10 percent) and sexworkers (from 5 percent to 3.4 percent), the rate is rising in the group of menhaving sex with men (from 7.4 percent to 11.4 percent), according to 2018statistics.
It isestimated that Vietnam has around 174,000 men having sex with men (MSM) agedfrom 15-49, including over 30,000 in Hanoi (or 17.5 percent).
PrEPwas first piloted in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2016. The Ministry of Healthmade it part of the direction for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in 2017 andpassed a plan to roll out the service for the 2018-2020 in 2018 with theprovision of free antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment.
Atpresent, over 2,000 people are using the service.
Asscheduled, nine cities and provinces will supply the service in 2019, and thefigure will be raised to 11 in 2020, with the goal of having 7,300 users.
Vietnamis the second country in Asia to launch PrEP service nationwide, afterThailand. -VNA
VNA
