Entire machinery of state must take part in control HIV infection rate

Chairman of People’s Committee in the Mekong delta province of Long An Tran Van Can speaks at the meeeting

He made the statement at a meeting to review the task of HIV/ AIDS prevention and implementing new plan for 2018

The chairman asked the agencies and departments to enhance its management in HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, and prostitution even the entire machinery of state.

In 2017, HIV/ AIDS treatment and preventative activities achieved its target contributing to stabilize the transmission of HIV in the province. Free testing and consulting program encouraged those who are at risk of transmitting the disease highly to go to nearby hospitals for undergoing tests voluntarily.

In 2017, 174 fresh cases of HIV, 51 new cases of AIDS were detected as well as 14 people succumbed to the disease.

 1,696 people living with HIV are living in the province under management; mostly in districts Duc Hoa, Can Duoc, Can Giuoc and Ben Luc.

A medical worker is conducting free tests for people at risk of contracting HIV

The mother-to-child transmission preventative program achieved good results with most pregnant women being detected and provided with treatment at early stage. During five uninterrupted year from 2013  to 2017, 106 pregnant women have been discovered to contract HIV; thanks to early treatment , their babies are not contracted the fatal disease transmitted from mothers.

The good results are contributable to the country’s general goal of HIV-infected people rate below 0.3 percent by 2020. The good results are paving the way for Long An to achieve the goal of 90-90-90 by 2020 (By 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status. By 2020, 90 percent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy. By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.)

In 2018, Long An province will continue implementing preventative program to curb transmission by testing and treating people living with HIV/AIDS.

At the meeting , the participants discussed measures how to gain preventative plan in 2018; and the goal of 90-90-90 and people living with HIV/AIDS can be paid by health insurance.

Related agencies should liaise with the health sector to enhance information of the disease to raise people ‘s awareness of testing so that they will voluntarily go to infirmaries for testing.

Deputy head of Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City cum head of HIV/AIDS prevention steering board in the south Dr. Nguyen Vu Thuong attended the meeting./.

By Ngoc Man – Translated by Uyen Phuong