K=K (U=U) Launches on National Media with the Ministry of Health and Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam

John Blandford (CDC in Hanoi, Vietnam):

“Saturday midday on VTV1, Vietnam’s primary news channel, a 45-minute discussion was held to discuss the implications of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) in Vietnam. In Vietnamese, the simple formulation will be K=K (Không phát hiện = Không lây truyền).”

“The panel was strong, comprising Dr. Huong Phan of Vietnam MOH/VAAC, which leads the national HIV response in Vietnam; Dr. Cuong Do Duy of Bach Mai Hospital, which houses an HIV clinic that demonstrates extraordinary success is supporting patients to achieve viral suppression; and Chi Huyen of VNP+, an notably dynamic and passionate woman living with HIV.”

“Dr. Phan Huong of VAAC relayed the success of the national HIV response in over the last year in progress to the third 90: assuring HIV treatment patients have access to routine viral load testing, and assuring that at least 90% of HIV patients have suppressed viral loads. Last year, viral suppression rates in Vietnam were 94% of all tested patients on treatment, and nearly 92% of all patients had viral loads so low that there is effectively no risk that they can transmit to their sexual partners.”

“#UequalsU is incredibly useful as an HIV public health message. Even more importantly, the message and the science behind it are life-changing for PLHIV, their partners and families.”

Watch the news segment in Vietnamese here. (subtitles coming soon)