HIV prevention is most convenient for people who do not like condoms

Just taking an antiviral pill every day will protect you from HIV infection through any route.

This antiretroviral (ARV) drug is being piloted in Vietnam in the chain of HIV infection prevention services (PrEP) supported by the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Healthy Markets project of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Dr. Kimberly Green, Director of Healthy Markets hopes that the integration of PrEP into exposure prevention programs will greatly reduce the number of new HIV infections in high-risk groups in Vietnam.

Since 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended countries to use PrEP as part of HIV prevention strategies for people at high risk of infection such as men and women of the same sex. , sex workers . Studies show that when a person is exposed to HIV through sexual or injecting drug use, taking this medicine regularly and regularly will reduce the risk of infection by 92%. So doctors recommend that people in high-risk groups take this medicine every day.

People who do not like condoms to prevent HIV can replace them by taking antiviral medications daily.(Artwork: CDC).

"The goal of the PrEP pilot program is to find the best sustainable service delivery model. The pilot results will be used to develop national guidelines and financial mechanisms for PrEP in the future. " Mrs. Kimberly said.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long, Head of the Department of HIV / AIDS Prevention and Control also expects to bring PrEP to Vietnam to help reduce the number of HIV cases quickly and aim to eliminate the disease from the community in 2030. Currently PrEP provided at all public, private and even clinics that are social enterprises operated by community groups.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Thuan, Galant Clinic is one of the units that deployed PrEP service, said that most people using this method have good feedback. Prescription rates for PrEP are increasing."This is considered an option to help people protect themselves from HIV, besides implementing safe sex behaviors and using condoms," Mr. Thuan commented.

However, he noted that antiretroviral drugs do not work to prevent pregnancy, so heterosexual couples who do not want to become pregnant unintentionally should still use condoms when having sex.