Difficulties in voluntary testing: HIV-infected children miss out on early treatment opportunities

BSCK I Cao Thanh Viet examines and consults HIV patients

According to the report of Rach Gia City Medical Center (Kien Giang), the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS here is the highest in the province, the cumulative number of detected HIV infections is 1,891 people, AIDS patients is 1,047 people, 508 deaths; the number of HIV/AIDS patients still alive is 1,391 people and the number under management accounts for 67% (about 932 people).

Dr. Cao Thanh Viet, Head of the Department of Disease Control, Head of the HIV/AIDS Outpatient Clinic (Rach Gia City Health Station) said that analyzing newly discovered cases of HIV infection in 2022, the proportion of women only accounted for nearly 17%, while that of men was more than 83%. Of which, sexually transmitted infections accounted for 79%, through blood only 6%, and unknown causes accounted for about 15%. The cause of transmission through drug injection and female prostitution remained stable, while the rate increased rapidly in the group of men who have sex with men (MSM). Notably, among the newly infected people, there were several cases of children under 15 years old.

NVT (nearly 14 years old, Rach Gia City, Kien Giang ) was very confused and scared when his gay friend called to inform him that he was infected with HIV and advised him to get tested. T bought a test strip online and tested himself and the result was positive.

Sharing about this case, Mr. Danh Tung, Director of The Sun Vietnam Social Enterprise Company Limited (Head of the CBO group for community-based HIV/AIDS prevention and control) said: “T called for help in a very worried and panicked state. We had to reassure him by telling him that the test kit bought online might not be of good quality, and the results might be incorrect. To get accurate results, he had to go to a medical facility. Because T was under 15 years old, not old enough to voluntarily go for testing, we advised him to inform his family. But T said that if his family found out, he would be even more scared. Therefore, T gave us his mother's phone number so we could contact him,” Danh Tung said.

However, when the CBO Team Leader called T's mother to inform her, she firmly refused, denying that her son had done anything to infect her with HIV. The mother and family did not know that T, out of curiosity, went online and was lured into homosexual sex, which caused serious consequences. According to T, her parents both worked in government agencies and they thought that if their children were cared for and educated properly, it would be difficult for them to get involved in social evils and become infected with HIV. “T said that they only had sex once and after announcing that he was HIV positive, the other person also cut off contact with him and never saw him again. We called his mother 2-3 times to convince her but were unsuccessful. Therefore, I had to send a test strip for him to test himself at home, and the result was still positive. More than a year later, T was old enough to voluntarily test and informed me of his HIV positive result. But then he cut off contact so we don’t know if T received ARV treatment or not,” Danh Tung said.

The provisions of Clause 2, Article 27 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS) amended in 2020 clearly state: “People aged 15 years or older and having civil act capacity may voluntarily request HIV testing”. Previously, Clause 2, Article 27 of the 2006 Law required that in order to voluntarily test for HIV, this person must be aged 16 years or older and have civil act capacity.

The new law, which took effect on July 1, 2021, has reduced the age required to voluntarily test for HIV compared to the previous regulations. Also according to the new law, in cases where a child aged 15 or older tests positive for HIV, the parents or guardians must be notified so that they can be promptly supported and treated. For people under 15 years of age, people who have lost civil act capacity, people with difficulty in cognition, behavior control and limited civil act capacity, HIV testing can only be done with the written consent of their parents, guardians or representatives.

According to the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the age limit for children to voluntarily request HIV testing from 16 to 15 years old is reduced to ensure compliance with the current HIV infection status among young people. There are very few cases where parents know that their children are at risk of infection and take them for testing. Children often do not dare to inform their parents or guardians that they are at risk of HIV infection due to unsafe sex, and medical facilities do not test for HIV without the consent of their parents or guardians, reducing the opportunity for children to be tested and detect HIV early. Therefore, early testing for timely treatment if children are infected with HIV will ensure children's right to health care, overcoming current problems.

However, with the rapid spread of HIV among MSM youth, children under 15 years old are at risk of having their ARV treatment delayed early due to family barriers, as in the case of NVT mentioned above. Currently, MSM boys aged only 14-16 years old are easily lured and deceived into becoming delicious prey for “online love markets” with a high risk of HIV infection. They can lose their entire future due to a lack of knowledge about safe sex, requiring new regulations so that children do not miss out on the opportunity to access licensed medical services early.

QUYNH HOA

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