HIV prevention medicines allocated free to high-risk populations in Hanoi
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The program, according to Phan Thi Thu Huong, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health, is conducted with the collaboration of the Hanoi Municipal Department of Health.
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| HIV prevention medicines allocated free to high-risk populations in Hanoi. |
Huong said the free PrEP service will first be provided at Dong Da Healthcare Station No.3. The target population groups will receive PrEP service for HIV prevention for free.
PrEP supports non-HIV people who live or work in fields at a high risk of infection to prevent HIV by taking a pill every day. It is seen as part of a combination HIV prevention strategy.
The prevention method is very effective when the pill is taken correctly. According to scientific conclusion, the service would reduce the risk of HIV infection via unsafe sex by 90 percent or via drug injection by 70 percent. PrEP is safe for all people, both pregnant and nursing women.
During the program, the Administration for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control will cooperate with other units to provide the service in 11 cities, provinces, namely Hanoi, Hai Phong, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Binh Duong, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Long An, Ho Chi Minh city, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh and Can Tho.
PrEP was first piloted in Hanoi in 2016. The service is being provided in eight clinics in Hanoi, including Dong Da Healthcare Station No.3.Provinces and cities reported in 2018 that HIV infections reduced significantly in the groups of drugs addicts (from 29-30 percent to 9-10 percent) and sex workers (from 5 percent to 3.4 percent) but rose in the group of men having sex with men (from 7.4 percent to 11.4 percent).
It is estimated that Vietnam has around 174,000 men having sex with men (MSM) aged from 15-49, including over 30,000 in Hanoi (or 17.5 percent).
Since 2015, the World Health Organization has strongly recommended PrEP as an additional prevention choice for people at substantial risk of HIV.
