Vietnam expands national PrEP programme to 15 more localities

The information was released at a
workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 27 by the Ministry of Health’s Vietnam
Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), the USAID/PATH Healthy Market and
UNAIDS.

VAAC deputy head Phan Thi Thu
Huong said more than 6,000 people have enrolled in the PrEP programme so far,
including 3,946 joining in 2019.

She added that the Global Fund
has committed non-refundable aid to support Vietnam’s response to HIV/AIDS among
the MSM community in 2019-2020, which will enable greater access to and uptake
of PrEP for those that are at highest risk of HIV.

According to USAID Vietnam Health
Office Director Ritu Singh, even though PrEP use is increasing in Vietnam,
many more people need to have access to it for there to be population-level
impact in reducing HIV incidence.

She said
USAIDS will assist the VAAC and implementing partners in further boosting
demand creation and in ensuring that PrEP clients get the support they need to
stay on PrEP.

PrEP was first piloted in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City in 2016. The made it part of the
direction for HIV/AIDS care and treatment in 2017 and passed a plan to roll out
the service for the 2018-2020 in 2018 with the provision of free antiretroviral
drugs for HIV treatment.

Vietnam is the
second country in Asia to launch PrEP service nationwide,
after Thailand./.