Changing patterns of HIV infection in Vietnam

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is becoming more complicated, with the transmission pattern changing from blood-borne transmission in drug addicts to sexual transmission.

The information was announced by Ms. Phan Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, at a press conference on the occasion of World AIDS Day on the afternoon of November 18. In Vietnam, since the first case of infection was detected in 1990 in Ho Chi Minh City, it is estimated that there are currently about 267,000 people living with HIV. To date, 100% of provinces and cities have infected people.

In the first 9 months of this year, the country recorded 11,421 new HIV positive cases and 1,263 deaths. Of the newly discovered HIV infected people, 83% were men, mainly aged 15-29 (40%) and 30-39 (27%), with the highest proportion being men who have sex with men (42%).

HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) is increasing rapidly.

The pattern of HIV infection has changed significantly since 2010. Among newly discovered HIV-infected people, the proportion of people infected through blood has decreased from 47% in 2010 to 6.5%, while the proportion of people infected through sex has become the main route of transmission, increasing from 47% to 70% this year.

HIV prevalence among male drug users (about 12%) and female sex workers (less than 5%) has been stable over the years. However, HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) has increased rapidly in recent years, from 7.4% in 2016 to 12.5% ​​in 2022. MSM are predicted to be the main risk group for the HIV epidemic in Vietnam.

In terms of location, newly detected HIV cases are mainly in the southern region and major cities. In particular, the Southeast and Mekong Delta regions account for nearly 70% of newly detected infections in the first 9 months of this year. However, epidemic warning figures show that the northern mountainous regions and the Central Highlands are potentially at risk of increasing infections.

Ms. Huong assessed that the main reason for the complicated development of the epidemic is still due to the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and the low level of understanding about HIV/AIDS in the community. This is a barrier to accessing prevention and control services for people living with HIV and high-risk groups.

Vietnam aims to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Ending the AIDS epidemic does not mean no new infections or AIDS-related deaths, but ensuring that AIDS is no longer a major 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%.

The Ministry of Health recommends that people who are not infected with HIV and belong to high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men, transgender women, sex workers, people who inject drugs. use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by taking one pill every day to prevent the disease.

People with HIV who are treated early with ARV drugs and adhere to treatment will usually have a viral load below the detection threshold (200 copies/ml of blood) after 6 months. At that time, this person will not transmit HIV to their partner through sex, reducing mother-to-child transmission. Thanks to that, many people with HIV can still get married and have healthy children.