The head of the HCM City AIDS Prevention Centre
has asked the Việt Nam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS to help the
country reach the 90-90-90 targets set by the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV and AIDS to help end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. — Photo laodong.com.vn
The head
of the HCM City AIDS Prevention Centre has asked the Việt Nam Network of People
Living with HIV/AIDS to help the country reach the 90-90-90 targets set by the
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS to help end the AIDS epidemic by
2030.
Speaking
at a forum on MSM (men who have sex with men) and transgendered people about
the UN targets on Monday, Tiêu Thị Thu Vân, said that Việt Nam was one of the
first 30 countries to try to achieve the targets by 2020.
The
90-90-90 goals ensure that at least 90 per cent of all people with HIV will
know their status, and that 90 per cent of people diagnosed with HIV will
receive sustained antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. In addition, 90 per cent of all
people receiving ARV therapy will be diagnosed with viral suppression.
HCM City
was chosen as one of 32 cities worldwide to reach the targets by 2020, Vân
said.
In the
context of decreased international aid for HIV/AIDS prevention in the country,
including in HCM City, the city is setting up a new treatment and management
system to maintain positive results in prevention and achieve the targets.
The
committee estimates that, according to the targets, the city will have 14,038
more people with HIV that need treatment by 2020.
Currently,
the city’s hospitals and district’s preventive health centres are treating
27,500 people with HIV, she said.
Last
year, the city had an estimated 41,841 people with HIV.
In the
past, when international aid was provided, any patient with HIV who lived in
the city, even those without an official residential book, was eligible to
receive antiretroviral therapy.
However,
the provision of therapy would no longer be the same when international aid was
cut completely, Vân said, adding that it must be provided through health
insurance.
Vân said
the Việt Nam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS(VNP+) could help patients
with HIV in the network better understand the issue.
The
network’s members can speak with health officials and encourage more people at
a high risk of HIV to access testing services.
The
network can also help its patients with HIV maintain treatment, as some of them
give up treatment when they encounter obstacles.
Nguyễn
Anh Phong, a representative of Việt Nam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS
in HCM City, said the network’s members would identify more patients with HIV
and help them access ARV
The
network only focused on prevention previously, Phong said.
A woman
named Jessica, head of the JF Band, the name of a group which provides
assistance to transgender people, said that she helps her members protect
themselves from HIV infection.
A recent
study showed that the city has around 30,000 MSM and transgender people,
accounting for one per cent to three per cent of its male population.
They are
at a high risk for HIV infection. It is estimated that the rate of HIV
infection among MSM is nearly 16 per cent and 18 per cent for transgender
people.
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