Photo: VNA
The information was announced at a ceremony to launch the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) service, held by the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control (VAAC) under the Ministry of Health and supported by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Healthy Markets project of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) on June 12th in Ho Chi Minh city.
It is an anti-HIV drug that contains tenofovir. If it is used regularly, PrEP may reduce the risk of HIV infection by 92%.
Since 2015, the World Health Organization has strongly recommended the use of PrEP as part of an integrated HIV prevention strategy for people at high risk of HIV infection.
PrEP has been introduced to high-risk target groups such as men who have sex with men, transgender people and partners of people with HIV. PrEP prescribing is being piloted from March 2017 to September 2018.
This pilot has been pioneered in Vietnam, in which Ho Chi Minh city is one of the regions where unsafe sex among the lesbian and gay community is increasing.
In Ho Chi Minh city, PrEP is provided at public clinics under the healthcare centres of 24 districts, some private clinics and social enterprises run by members of community groups such as Galant and Life.
In the first month, people can use the medicine completely free. In the 2nd month, PrEP is sold at VND750,000/box of 30 tablets. After the pilot period, it is sold at VND1,500,000/box.
In order to help the community gain broader access to the medicine, the organizing board said that it will mobilize to list it into health insurance medicine in the coming time.
Dr. Kimberly Green, Director of the Healthy Markets project, said that the integration of PrEP into HIV services in Vietnam would greatly reduce new HIV infections among high-risk groups. The target of the pilot program is to find a model to provide the best sustainable service.
Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, Director of the VAAC, said that together with the ARV treatment program for people infected with HIV and the program of treatment for exposed people, PrEP is expected to help Vietnam eliminate the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030./.