Vietnam-US joint project aids HIV/AIDS control in Thanh Hoa
The VAAC-US.CDC Project has provided funding worth 71.06 billion VND (3.03 million USD) for HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in Thanh Hoa since August 2013, accounting for 71 percent of the central province’s total budget for the work.
Thanh Hoa (VNA) – TheVAAC-US.CDC Project has provided funding worth 71.06 billion VND (3.03 millionUSD) for HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in Thanh Hoa since August 2013, accountingfor 71 percent of the central province’s total budget for the work.
The information was released at a conferenceheld by the provincial People’s Committee on December 4 to review the VAAC-US.CDC,a collaboration between the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control and theUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight HIV/AIDS inVietnam.
As heard at the function, during 2013-2018,the project has helped 63,541 people be tested for HIV, or 82 percent of totalresidents taking the test. It has also assisted 12 out of 29 outpatient clinicsin providing antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.
Since 2016, Thanh Hoa has been among thefirst five provinces nationwide receiving the VAAC-US.CDC support in realisingthe 90-90-90 goal – 90 percent of local HIV carriers aware of their healthconditions, 90 percent of people diagnosed with HIV take continuous ARV therapyand 90 percent of ARV patients have low and stable virus levels. As a result,the province has completed the second 90-percent goal with 3,814 out of 4,128HIV patients receiving ARV treatment, and surpassed the final 90-percenttarget.
The project has helped Thanh Hoa keep thelocal rate of people with HIV at below 0.12 percent, lower than the nationalaverage.
Speaking at the conference, Paula Morgan,Deputy Country Director of the CDC Vietnam Office, said the VAAC-US.CDC will providethe province 4.04 billion VND (172,631 USD) in aid for 2019.
The assistance is expected to benefitresidents across 27 districts, towns and cities, she added.
Since detecting its first HIV case in 1995,Thanh Hoa recorded more than 8,000 cases as of November 2018, with 2,000 peopledead due to the disease.-VNA
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Scene at the conference (Photo: VNA) 
