To date, about 212,769 people are living with HIV in Vietnam (Photo: Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control) To date, about 212,769 people are living with HIV inVietnam. Since the beginning of this year, 10,925 people have been foundpositive to the virus, 84.8 percent of whom are male, while 1,528 have died of the syndrome, bringing the total deaths so far to 108,849.
Unsafe sexual activities remain the main method of HIV transmission in the country with 79.1percent of new cases this year. MSM (men who have sex with men) is becoming a major risk of HIVtransmission in Vietnam.
Currently, Vietnam has about 1,300 facilities providing HIV testing andconsultation services, along with 201 labs qualified to confirm HIV testing results in 63 cities andprovinces across the nation. So far, 1.7 million people have received HIVtesting and consultations, of whom about 12,000 have been confirmed to bepositive to the virus.
Meanwhile, HIV self-testing has been conducted in 33 citiesand provinces covered by the US President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief(PEPFAR) and projects funded by the Global Fund.
There are 478 HIV treatment facilities, including 270 accepting healthinsurance. At the same time, about 161,000 people living with HIV areundertaking treatment, of whom, over 85,000 are taking antiretroviral drug (ARV) which is covered by health insurance.
Meanwhile, the Methadone treatment programme has been conducted in 341treatment facilities nationwide, benefiting 52,000 patients. As of October thisyear, more than 1,100 patients in three localities piloting the programme hadbeen allowed to take Methadone home. At the same time, over 800 patients havereceived Buprenorphine treatment in eight cities and provinces.
Thanks to efforts by localities across the nation todiversify communications activities on HIV/AIDS through websites and social medianetworks such as Facebook and Tiktok, so far, 89 percent of people living withHIV have known their HIV status, while 76 percent of people with diagnosed HIVinfection have received sustained ARV therapy, and 96 percent ofpeople receiving ARV therapy have reported viral suppression./.
VNA
