Speeches Shim
PrEP is a game-changing preventive medication that can reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 92 percent, if taken daily, as part of a combination HIV prevention strategy. In Vietnam, Commune Health Stations (CHSs) are the most common and proximal location for primary health care services. Given their coverage, CHSs can fill PrEP access gaps in peri-urban and rural areas. A PrEP needs assessment in mid-2020 found that key populations living and working in industrial zones in Dong Nai would prefer to access PrEP in local CHSs because they are convenient and they can receive other primary health care services if needed. A new PrEP model was initiated in October 2020, where community-based organizations (CBOs) were paired with four CHSs in Dong Nai province to support them with demand generation and referrals to PrEP services. All site staff and partner CBOs were trained, initiating continuous quality improvement teams and systems. By the end of December 2020, with the support of the CBOs, each CHS had enrolled 15 to 20 new PrEP clients, accounting for one-third of the full year target per site.
Vietnam is one of the largest destinations and transit points of illegal wildlife trade. DNA forensic test results are critical pieces of evidence to identify poached or illegally traded wildlife products and their geographic origin and are often necessary for the successful prosecution of wildlife crimes. In 2019, USAID Saving Species provided the Institute of Ecology and Biology Research (IEBR) with international-standard wildlife DNA forensics testing equipment and contributed funding to hire qualified personnel for forensic analysis processing. In 2020, IEBR addressed 183 DNA testing requests for wildlife trafficking cases from the Vietnamese Police, Customs, Forest Protection Department, and other agencies.
Starting HIV treatment on the same day as receiving an HIV positive diagnosis is key to ensure maximal linkage rates. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and new policies that prohibited use of email to send HIV-confirmatory results, same-day HIV diagnosis and treatment initiation was significantly reduced during the first quarter of 2020. To address communication shortfalls and underscore the importance of providing quick HIV confirmatory results, the USAID Sustainable HIV and TB Responses from Technical Assistance project modified standard operating procedures to align with new regulations.
Song Thanh is a forested area in Vietnam’s Quang Nam province with globally significant biodiversity and a strategic location linking four nature reserves. Over the past 18 years, Quang Nam province worked to upgrade this protected area into a national park. However, progress was limited until the USAID Green Annamites project started providing support in September 2019. Together with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Forest Protection Department, USAID Green Annamites conducted a biodiversity survey, collected socio-economic data, and organized meetings with communities in order to develop a dossier to request the upgrade of Song Thanh’s protection category for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s approval.
ASD is a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors. In Vietnam, the prevalence of ASD among children aged 18-30 months is around 75 per 10,000 children. However, until recently, there were no official Ministry of Health guidelines on diagnosis and interventions for children with ASD. To address this, USAID’s I-Thrive project collaborated with the Ministry of Health’s Medical Services Administration and the National Pediatric Hospital in Hanoi to develop technical guidelines on (i) an interdisciplinary rehabilitation mechanism and (ii) early identification and intervention for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). These guidelines will be used by different professionals in the rehabilitation system to coordinate services - from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up, and will be piloted in three provincial hospitals in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam provinces over the next few months.
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