Faced with speculative claims inflating HIV infection numbers and the disclosure of patients' personal information on social media, the Ministry of Health has requested localities to rectify the management and confidentiality of information regarding people infected with HIV.
On November 15, the Vietnam Administration of Disease Prevention under the Ministry of Health announced it had just issued an urgent dispatch requesting departments of health in provinces and cities to review and rectify the management and protection of information concerning people living with HIV.
According to the Administration of Disease Prevention, speculative information exaggerating the number of HIV infections in several localities, as well as personal information and images suspected to be related to HIV-positive individuals, has recently surfaced on social media.
This situation has caused public panic, negatively impacted HIV/AIDS prevention and control efforts, and violated patients' rights to information confidentiality.
The Administration of Disease Prevention requested local Departments of Health to direct Centers for Disease Control and healthcare facilities to review procedures for accessing, utilizing, and storing medical records. Simultaneously, they must review HIV/AIDS information management software systems (HIV-INFO, HMED) and strictly enforce information security regulations.
Healthcare officials and staff are strictly prohibited from arbitrarily copying, providing, or disclosing information, identities, addresses, or images of people infected with HIV in any form without the patient's consent or outside cases permitted by law.
Localities need to coordinate with the police and information and communications regulatory agencies to review and verify information on social media, while handling organizations and individuals who spread false or distorted news about the HIV/AIDS situation or leak the personal details of HIV-positive individuals.
The health sector must proactively provide official information regarding the HIV/AIDS situation while stepping up communications to reduce stigma against people living with HIV. Along with this, it should disseminate infection prevention measures such as PrEP, PEP, and the U=U message (Undetectable = Untransmittable), encouraging at-risk individuals to proactively seek testing and early treatment.
The Administration of Disease Prevention also requested Departments of Health in Provinces and cities to urgently implement these measures and submit reports to the Ministry of Health before November 18.
Previously, rumors circulated on social media alleging that an individual in Dak Lak Province was transmitting HIV to others. However, leaders of the Ea Ning Commune People's Committee affirmed that this information was false. Commune police have summoned two individuals involved in sharing and commenting on the rumor for questioning and handling in accordance with regulations.
