(VOVworld) – Vietnam has launched a national month of action for HIV/AIDS prevention and control towards achieving its 90-90-90 targets and eliminating AIDS in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s 90-90-90 targets are: 90% of people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 90% of people who know their status will be on HIV treatment; and 90% of all people on treatment will have undetectable levels of HIV in their body (known as viral suppression). These targets aim to eliminate AIDS by 2030. Activities to be held during the national month of action for HIV/AIDS prevention and control include a national scientific conference on HIV/AIDS involving 1,000 Vietnamese and foreign scientists, meetings, marches, fund-raising activities to support HIV carriers, and seminars to share experience in HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Approximately 10,000 people have tested positive for HIV and 2,000 have died of AIDS in Vietnam so far this year. Vietnam now has 254,000 HIV positive people and 12,000-14,000 new cases are reported every year. HIV positive people are mainly in high-risk groups.

Vietnam’s HIV/AIDS prevention and control has shifted from using foreign aid to using the state budget through medical insurance. Coordinated measures in HIV/AIDS prevention and control have included preventive medicine, medical intervention, examinations, consultations, ARV treatment, and epidemic monitoring. Priority has been given to high-risk groups. 47% of Vietnam’s population are fully aware of HIV/AIDS and the ratio of people with access to preventive services in high-risk groups is 41-49%. More than 100,000 people in Vietnam are on ARV treatment.

Increased investment in HIV/AIDS prevention and control will help Vietnam achieve other sustainable development goals such as gender equality, sustainable employment, economic growth, and social equality.