Ha Noi responds to national action month for HIV/AIDS prevention and control

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Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Duc Hanh, Deputy Director of the Ha Noi Health Department – the standing agency on HIV/AIDS battle of the city’s Steering Committee 138, said that since the first HIV case was detected in 1991, Ha Noi has now experienced 30 years of fighting HIV/AIDS.

Over the past three decades, Ha Noi has focused many resources on HIV/AIDS prevention and control, with a number of achievements having been attained. The program to treat opioid addiction by using methadone was first implemented in 2009 with only one treatment facility in Nam Tu Liem District, but the number of establishments has increased to 18 across the city by 2020, offering treatment for 4,992 patients. Meanwhile, the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program has now been treating 2,026 people since its debut two years ago. From the traditional form of voluntary testing (clients themselves come to advisory and testing rooms), other forms have been implemented, such as community-based testing and self-testing. The antiretroviral (ARV) treatment program has been implemented since 2004 at Dong Da General Hospital, with 23 ARV treatment facilities, including four outpatient clinics under central hospitals and 19 treatment facilities managed by the Health Department, and 14,583 patients under treatment.

The National Action Month for HIV/AIDS 2020, themed “30 years of response to and opportunities to end the AIDS epidemic in Viet Nam”, is an opportunity to strengthen diverse communication activities to draw public attention to the HIV/AIDS prevention and control campaign.

To realize the goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Duc Hanh suggested the steering committees of districts and towns develop implementation plans in line with their local situation, taking specific to achieve the targets and improve knowledge on reducing HIV stigma and discrimination in family and the community.

By Vien Nhu