About 70% of new HIV infections are concentrated mainly in the Southern region, with the 15-29 age group showing an increasing trend.
About 70% of new HIV infections are concentrated mainly in the Southern region, with the 15-29 age group showing an increasing trend.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam is becoming more complex with clear changes in the pattern of infection. Among the newly discovered HIV infections, men who have sex with men (MSM) are the main source of infection.
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| About 70% of new HIV infections are concentrated mainly in the Southern region, with the 15-29 age group showing an increasing trend. |
Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, said that in the first 9 months of 2024, the country recorded more than 11,400 new cases of HIV, of which nearly 1,300 people died. Of those newly diagnosed with HIV since the beginning of the year, 82.9% were men, mainly aged 15-29 (40%) and 30-39 (27.3%).
In Vietnam, since the first case of infection was detected in 1990 in Ho Chi Minh City, the whole country has about 267,000 people living with HIV with 100% of provinces and cities recording cases.
Notably, nearly 70% of new HIV infections are concentrated mainly in the Mekong Delta (31.2%), Southeast (12.8%) and Ho Chi Minh City (24.3%); the age group of 15-29 tends to increase.
Ms. Huong said that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still complicated. In recent years, the pattern of HIV infection has changed significantly - from blood-borne transmission among drug addicts to sexual transmission, especially among MSM. This group accounts for a large proportion of new HIV infections, with more than 40% of cases detected each year.
However, these people still face discrimination from the community and do not dare to disclose themselves, making it difficult for them to access HIV prevention services.
What is worrying is the fact that HIV infections are getting younger. Some provinces and cities have discovered infected people among minors, students in grades 10 and 11. They said they had homosexual sex or used synthetic drugs. These are factors that increase the risk of HIV infection.
Experts predict that the number of people infected with HIV in the MSM group will continue to increase in the coming time. The reason is that this group lives in different provinces and cities, making it difficult to reach them by region as it was with drug addicts in the past.
Social networks have developed with clubs and groups dedicated to homosexuals flourishing, making it easy for them to find and contact many sexual partners.
Recent research results also show that transgender women are one of the groups at risk of HIV infection, which has increased in recent years.
In addition, studies have also shown that the infection trend in non-key provinces and cities has also begun to increase. This is accompanied by complex risk behaviors such as the use of synthetic drugs, "chemsex" (using substances during sex) and group sex. This not only spreads HIV but also sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis B, C, etc., increasing the burden on the health sector.
Furthermore, because MSM do not have a fear of pregnancy, condom use - one of the contraceptive methods - is not as important as sexual intercourse between men and women. In addition, some people in this group may have times of group sex, with multiple sexual partners.
They also tend to use stimulants such as drugs, alcohol, beer... to increase pleasure and find different feelings..., leading to loss of control over safe behavior. In addition, there may be violent sexual behavior leading to higher injuries.
Many people do not know much about their sexual partners, especially their health status. Some people have many overlapping risks, such as injecting drugs, having many sexual partners, both male and female, frequently changing sexual partners and possibly having other sexually transmitted diseases...
Based on the World Health Organization's classification, Vietnam is in a phase where the epidemic is concentrated in groups with high-risk behaviors for HIV infection.
The risk of HIV infection tends to be younger, and risky behaviors of high-risk groups are increasingly complex, such as synthetic drug use and homosexual relationships. Access to intervention is difficult because there is still stigma and discrimination against infected people.
To achieve the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030, Vietnam is pursuing equity in access to HIV/AIDS prevention and control services, ensuring that HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, care and treatment services are provided to all people based on their actual needs, rather than based on financial capacity, social status, or other factors.
Equality in access to HIV/AIDS prevention and control services means ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, place of residence, economic status or any other personal characteristic, have the right to use HIV/AIDS prevention and control services without discrimination.
Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, which Vietnam is aiming for, does not mean there are no new infections or deaths from AIDS, but rather ensuring that AIDS is no longer a serious public health problem, with criteria such as the number of new HIV infections being less than 1,000 cases per year and the rate of mother-to-child transmission being less than 2%.
Over the years, Vietnam has demonstrated its commitment through the development and implementation of specific policies to ensure that all people, including high-risk groups, have fair and equal access to HIV/AIDS prevention and control services.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/noi-dai-noi-lo-dai-dich-hiv-viet-nam-d231081.html
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