A medical worker tests blood samples at the centre for HIV/AIDS prevention and control of Lai Chau province (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Gender inequality contributes to
the spread of HIV and reduces women and girls’ capacity of response to the
epidemic, heard a workshop on January 17.
The event on gender assessment of Vietnam’s HIV
response was held by the (VAAC)
under the Ministry of Health and the UN Entity for General Equality and the
Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
VAAC reported that as of September 2017, there
had been 208,371 alive HIV carriers, 90,493 alive AIDS patients, and over
90,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS.
In the first nine months of 2017, Vietnam recorded
6,883 HIV-infected persons and 3,484 patients while 1,260 related deaths
were reported. The respective figures declined by 14 percent, 39 percent and 35
percent year on year.
Sexual acts are still the most common route of
HIV transmission, VAAC noted.
At the workshop, some participants said gender
inequality was mentioned in the framework of guidance for HIV response,
including the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control and the national strategy
for HIV/AIDS prevention and control until 2020. This legal framework is a good
starting point to solve the gender aspects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
However, the national strategy has yet to fully
recognise the connection between gender inequality and HIV.
Participants acknowledged that the country has
made progress in HIV response in terms of prevention, treatment, caring and
support, stigma and discrimination, and , it still needs to do
more to ensure that women in different groups will receive full assistance.
UN Women suggested that to deal with gender
aspects of HIV, Vietnam should have a strong preventive programme to provide
necessary information for women and girls to protect themselves, along with
accessible treatment, caring and assistance systems at reasonable prices. It
should eradicate stigma and discrimination against women while ensuring women’s
rights.
VAAC Deputy Director Phan Thi Thu Huong said the
health ministry will press on with communication activities and call for media
outlets’ engagement to raise public awareness, boost women’s access to HIV risk
reduction tools, and train more consultants to give relevant advice to women
and girls.
At the workshop, participants also discussed the
outcomes of gender assessment in Vietnam’s response, the HIV pandemic in
the country, and the burden of HIV/AIDS on women and girls.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
