HIV/Aids in Vietnam

 

HIV/AIDS is a large and increasing problem in Vietnam putting a heavy burden on the national health system and with severe adverse affects on the patient, his or her family and society as a whole.

 

The latest epidemiological data indicates a more serious epedemic could be on the way and if the response is not swift enough it could threaten the long-term socio-economic stabilit of the country.

 

Today one in 50 households in Vietnam has a person living with HIV

 

According to the revised official statistics estimates the number of affected to more than 200.000 and projections suggest that the number to increase to around 500.000 by 2015.

 

NGO Fontana closely follows the development and attempt to form alliances with organizations combating and informing about the disease as the number one reason for contracting the disease in Vietnam is the sharing of needles or syringes – in other words the spreading of the disease is closely linked to drug addiction.

 

We have a number of patients in treatment who suffer from the disease and a number of dedicated HIV/AIDS clinics have a large number of infected people with addiction problems.

 

 

Aids is short for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, a fatal disease that slowly destroys the body’s immune system.

 

HIV, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, causes AIDS.

 

HIV infections is for life. There is no cure, but anti-HIV drugs can keep HIV in check for years.

 

HIV has become a chronic but treatable disease, not unlike diabetes.

 

As a result of better treatment, deaths from AIDS have declined almost 60 % since 1995.

 

 

Injection-drug-users represent the largest HIV-infected substance-abusing population in Vietnam.

 

 

HIV Transmission

 

HIV cannot survive outside the human cell. HIV must be transmitted directly from one person to another through human body fluids that contain HIV infected cells, such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, or breast milk.

 

The most effective way of transmitting HIV is by direct contact between the infected blood of one person and the blood supply of another – in Vietnam very often through needle sharing of drug addicted people.

 

A person is about 5 times more likely to contract HIV through anal intercourse than through vaginal intercourse, because the tissues of the anal region are more prone to breaks and bleeding during sexual activity.

 

HIV is spread

 

1. By having sex without a condom. Anal and vaginal sex carry a high risk; the risk of getting HIV from oral sex is lower
2. By sharing needles and/or syringes to inject drugs or steroids
3. From a mother to her infant during pregnancy, delivery, or breast feeding
4. By getting a tattoo or piercing from an infected needle
5. By transfusions, blood products, or organ transplants. This kind of transmission

 

 

What are the treatments?

 

Treatment with combinations of drugs can keep people with HIV from getting full-blown AIDS It is absolutely essential to take the drugs at the right time of day, every day. Sometimes the drugs’ side effects make this hard to do.

 

Because HIV is constantly mutating, no two people are infected with exactly the same virus. Treatment must be planned and adjusted for each individual.

 

Most doctors recommend postponing treatment until a persons’ immune system starts to fail.

 

This decision is based on the CD-4T cell count the best measure of HIV disease.

 

Another factor is how much HIV is in the blood, a measure called the viral load.

 

As HIV mutates quickly and becomes resistant to any single treatment, which is why doctors use combinations, or cocktails, of anti HIV drugs.

 

Tests can tell which drugs will work best on a particular HIV-infected individual.

 

Over time, a virus resistant to multiple drugs may appear. At this point a physician will switch to another drug combination.

 

While there are many anti-HIV drugs, the possibilities are not endless.

 

Researchers are working hard to find new ways to treat patients.

 

Once a person is infected with HIV, alcohol and other drug use hastens the development of AIDS. Use of Street drugs and alcohol may interfere with drugs given to fight HIV infection.

 

A person who first earns that he or she has HIV will typically experience a vast range of emotional responses.

 

At first he or she may be in denial.

 

A perfect example of this is the thought that maybe the doctor is looking at the wrong chart.

 

Later a person may become angry at himself or herself, at the virus, or perhaps at the person, place, or situation they hold responsible.

 

Another typical response is bargaining, where a person may say to himself or herself, “ I’ll be real good from now on if God makes this not true”.

 

Most people experience a period of depression following diagnosis, which may include feelings of hopelessness and despair and suicidal thoughts.

 

Eventually, many people reach a level of acceptance and begin to take responsibility for fighting back.

 

The people who reach this stage seem to share one common characteristic: The are invoved in some sort of support group.