Hà Nội managing HIV/AIDS with monitoring, treatment, testing

Long Biên Medical Centre is one of Hà Nội’s many clinics administering ARV drugs to HIV-positive patients. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Ngọc

HÀ NỘI According to the Hà Nội Department of Health, as of October 31, there are 21,991 cases of HIV/AIDS in the city, with 7,550 people having died. The living cases of HIV in Hà Nội account for 6.5 per cent of the total living cases nationwide, with 100 per cent of districts and towns having reported HIV cases. The districts and towns with the highest cumulative HIV cases are Đống Đa, Hai Bà Trưng, Long Biên, and Hoàng Mai, making up 50.2 per cent of the city’s total.

In the first 10 months of 2023, there were 364 newly discovered HIV cases, an increase compared to the same period last year. The newly discovered cases are predominantly male (82.7 per cent), transmitted through sexual contact (53 per cent), blood transmission (10.4 per cent), and with unknown transmission routes (36.1 per cent).

The newly discovered HIV cases are mainly in the age groups of 25-49 (57.1 per cent) and 15-25 years old (30.2 per cent). The groups of men having sex with men and spouses/partners of HIV-infected individuals are the two with the highest newly discovered cases in the past 10 months, accounting for 32.4 per cent and 18.4 per cent, respectively, while the drug user group accounts for 10.4 per cent.

Regarding the 90-90-95 targets, as of October 31, the city had achieved that 70.4 per cent of living HIV cases are aware of their HIV status, an increase of 2.2 per cent from the previous year. The number of HIV patients maintained on ARV treatment was 13,448 out of 14,441 cases (93.1 per cent), with 98 per cent of patients having viral load test results below the inhibitory threshold, equivalent to the same period in 2022.

The city has implemented pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at 13 facilities, with 8,361 customers using the service at least once, achieving 98.3 per cent of the plan. Methadone maintenance treatment is being carried out at 23 facilities, with 4,962 patients currently undergoing treatment, achieving 93.6 per cent of the set target.

The Hà Nội Department of Health continues specialised activities for managing HIV/AIDS patients, monitoring key groups such as male drug users, conducting tests, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and ARV treatment for HIV-infected individuals. The HIV/AIDS prevention programme collaborates with non-governmental projects, community organisations, district health facilities, and local communities to expand community access models and identify HIV-positive individuals for treatment. VNS