User:Christinetranster/Health in Vietnam

Health Issues
As of 2017, Vietnam has a population of 96.1 million people. Drug-resistant tuberculosis, pathogenic influenza, HIV/AIDS, and smoking are continuous problems that impact the quality of health in Vietnam. Health risk factors such as smoking and the lack of funding for healthcare attribute to the epigenetic health of the population In 2008, the Government of Vietnam adopted a USAID methadone program that served 50,000 clients. Since 2014, Vietnam is transitioning its country to a universal healthcare system since 70% of its citizens have to pay out-of-pocket payments. There is also an inadequate ratio of doctors to patients. There are 8 doctors for every 10,000 patients. Preventative treatments such as the HPV vaccination are prohibitively expensive, and thus not effective in battling chronic diseases.

HIV/AIDS
People who inject drugs, commercial sex workers and potential clients, and men who have sex with other men are the most at-risk and susceptible to HIV infections in Vietnam. Since the mid-1990s, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) collaborates with the Government of Vietnam at the national, provincial, and district levels through delivering preventative care and treatment services, advocating to strengthen the health system, and providing sustainable long term plans. USAID provides a community-based approach by treating patients with anti-retroviral treatments. USAID helps provide funding to achieve Vietnam's "90-90-90" goals which is to ensure 90% of people that have HIV are aware they have HIV, 90% of people diagnosed with HIV will receive anti-retroviral therapy, and 90% of people receiving treatment will be able to see the virus suppressed. Most of the testing occurs in Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Then Giang, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Pandemics
Vietnam is located in the tropical and temperate zone and prone to zoonotic diseases. In recent years, the country has been affected by SARS, avian influenza A(H5N1), influenza A (H5N6), and SARS-COVID19. Spillovers of viruses from animals to humans is attributed to the agriculture-centered economy and animal consumption.

The Global Health Security Agenda and USAID address the disease surveillance and outbreak response in Vietnam through operational platforms and creating disease portfolios with animal origins. On February 1st, 2020, the Vietnamese government suspended all flights to and from China in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, making it one of the first countries to enforce travel restrictions. The country then implemented a 21-day quarantine in Vinh Phuc province. Vietnam is a single-party state with a centralized government that is able to utilize its military resources in order to implement surveillance and contact tracing.

Smoking
In Vietnam, 40,000 people die due to tobacco-related diseases. Thirty percent of heart disease deaths are caused by smoking cigarettes. Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death in Vietnam and tobacco risk factors that cause death and disability. Vietnam has reduced the supply of tobacco products through the ratification of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Examples of steps towards tobacco prevention is banning the advertisement of tobacco, requiring health warnings on tobacco packaging, and increasing tobacco taxes. In 2013, Vietnam launched the National Strategy on Tobacco Control which prohibits smoking in indoor public and workspaces in an effort to significantly reduce smoking rates across many demographic groups. The goal is to reduce smoking rates among youth (15-24 years old) from 26% (2011) to 18% (2020), and adult males from 47.4% (2011) to 39% (2020). In 2018, the World Health Organization surveyed that one in two male adults (45.3%) were smoking tobacco. Vietnam's government is incorporating a plan that will utilize the taxes from tobacco and alcohol to cover the cost of universal healthcare and make sure its population is ensured.

Tuberculosis in Vietnam
Vietnam has the 13th highest tuberculosis burden in the world. Approximately 55 tuberculosis-related deaths occur in Vietnam each day. Vietnam’s healthcare system consists of four levels: the central level headed by the Ministry of Health (MOH), provincial health services, district health services, and commune health centers. In 1989, the Ministry of Health in Vietnam addressed the tuberculosis burden by establishing the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases and implementing the DOTS strategy as a national priority. The National Institute of Tuberculosis supports developing TB- related strategies and managing guidelines for the different levels of healthcare in Vietnam. At the provincial level, there are health centers that diagnose and treat patients. The district health services detect tuberculosis and provide stipends to treat patients. District health services work on detecting TB, providing stipends for treatment, implementing DOTS strategy, and supervising TB programs at the commune level. The commune level provides treatment and vaccination for children. All four levels work together not only to provide ongoing treatment and examination, but also to establish trust in the government health services implemented through community relationships and a close network of doctors, faculty, and patients.

In 2002, Vietnam also implemented a communication plan to provide accurate information in order to respond to any barriers or misconceptions about tuberculosis treatment. The government worked with the World Health Organization, Center for Disease and Control Prevention, and local medical non-profits such as Friends for International Tuberculosis Relief to provide information about the causes of TB, sources of infection, how it is transmitted, symptoms, treatment, and prevention.