Vo Hai Son, deputy head of , speaks at the event (Photo:tiengchuong.chinhphu.vn)Hanoi (VNA) – The National Action Month for HIV/AIDS
Prevention and Control 2023 will be held from November 10 to December 10 with
a wide range of activities, aiming to mobilise the involvement of leaders, policy
makers, service providers and the community in HIV/AIDS prevention and control
as well as increase support for people living with HIV, an official has said.
Speaking at a press conference held in Hanoi on November 9 on the occasion of World AIDS Day (December 1) and
National Action Month for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control 2023, Vo Hai Son, deputy head of Vietnam
Administration of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health, said seminars,
running events, music galas and drawing contests will be organised during the month to raise
people’s on the disease.
Eric Dziuban, Vietnam Country Director of US Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention said Vietnam is one of the leading countries in terms
of public health response. Vietnam’s lessons have been learned and implemented
by other countries.
According to Bui Hoang Duc from VAAC, 10,219 new HIV
infections were detected in Vietnam in the first nine months of this year and
1,126 people had died.
There are nearly 250,000 people living with HIV across the
country. Infections are concentrated in southern provinces, with 60% of
new HIV cases detected in the Mekong Delta, the Southeast, and Ho Chi Minh
City.
The rate of in the 16-29 age group has been increasing since 2022,
accounting for 50% of the total number of newly detected infections, he said, adding that
the infection rate is also rising in the group of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people.
In the first nine months of 2023, 177,009 HIV carriers
received antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, meeting 80% of the designed target and the
number of people receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment surpassed the target, Duc said./.
Source: VietnamPlus
