VietNamNet Bridge – The decrease of funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment could increase the spread of the disease, the HIV/AIDS Prevention Agency has aid.

According to the agency, up to 80 percent of the funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Vietnam comes from foreign institutions. However, in recent years, many major donors suspended aid while the rest have gradually reduced assistance and plan to stop funding in the near future.

At the same time, the state budget for the national HIV/AIDS prevention program was also cut, from VND245 billion ($12.25 million) in 2013 to VND83 billion ($4 million) this year.

"Insufficient funding will lead to a shortfall of services for HIV/AIDS prevention and then an outbreak of the disease with a high rate of drug resistance. The cost of treatment will also increase by many times," the agency said.

The cut in the state budget has affected education and communication programs. The related services like distribution of free clean needles, condoms and treatment with methadone may not expand in the coming years due to lack of funding.

At present, up to 95% of ARV drugs for HIV/AIDS patients are provided by international donors. When the assistance is cut, disruptions of ARV treatment will increase the risk of HIV drug resistance, leading to treatment failure.

Without ARVs, the morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected people and the number of new HIV infections in the community will increase.

Since the first case of HIV in 1990, to date there are 224,223 infected people in Vietnam, including 69,617 AIDS cases,and  70,734 deaths. The number of new HIV infections has been on a downward trend in the last seven years, but it is still high, around 12,000 to 14,000 cases per year.

Some 80.3% of communes, wards, towns and 98.9% of districts have reported HIV/AIDS infections, mainly concentrated in three groups of drug users, gays and female prostitutes.

Phuong Thuy