Drug substitution treatment in Vietnam to fight HIV/AIDS
November 2, 2005, Associated Foreign Press
VIET NAM- Substitution treatment for drug addicts will be a key part of the fight against HIV/AIDS in the future in Vietnam, government officials and the World Health Organisation said.
Needle and syringe use account for the majority of new infections of HIV/AIDS in Asia, the WHO said in a statement.
"Extensive research shows that by combining common approaches to the drug problem with harm reduction methods such as drug substitution treatment, an effective response can be achieved," said Hans Troedsson, WHO representative in Vietnam.
"This combination approach can not only avert an HIV crisis but also directly addresses the problem of drug use."
The statement was issued after a workshop co-organized last week by the WHO and the Central Commission for Ideology and Culture of the Vietnamese communist Party.
The number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam is still relatively low compared to other countries in the region, but it is spreading at an alarming rate.
Official figures say that in May 2005, a reported 95,512 people were living with HIV/AIDS nationwide, with 15,539 reported cases of full-blown AIDS and 8,965 deaths.Widely admitted estimates however put the figure around 250,000 people living with the virus.
International experts have warned it could grow very rapidly.
"The future of the HIV pandemic in Asia, including Vietnam, will largely depend on response to drug use," said Dr. Dao Duy Quat, vice chairman of the central commission, in the statement.
Source: AFP
VIET NAM- Substitution treatment for drug addicts will be a key part of the fight against HIV/AIDS in the future in Vietnam, government officials and the World Health Organisation said.
Needle and syringe use account for the majority of new infections of HIV/AIDS in Asia, the WHO said in a statement.
"Extensive research shows that by combining common approaches to the drug problem with harm reduction methods such as drug substitution treatment, an effective response can be achieved," said Hans Troedsson, WHO representative in Vietnam.
"This combination approach can not only avert an HIV crisis but also directly addresses the problem of drug use."
The statement was issued after a workshop co-organized last week by the WHO and the Central Commission for Ideology and Culture of the Vietnamese communist Party.
The number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam is still relatively low compared to other countries in the region, but it is spreading at an alarming rate.
Official figures say that in May 2005, a reported 95,512 people were living with HIV/AIDS nationwide, with 15,539 reported cases of full-blown AIDS and 8,965 deaths.Widely admitted estimates however put the figure around 250,000 people living with the virus.
International experts have warned it could grow very rapidly.
"The future of the HIV pandemic in Asia, including Vietnam, will largely depend on response to drug use," said Dr. Dao Duy Quat, vice chairman of the central commission, in the statement.
Source: AFP
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 8:18 am
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