Vietnamese researchers launch country’s first major HIV viral load monitoring study

UPPSALA – Researchers in Vietnam are using ExaVir™ Load in the first major study of HIV viral load testing the country has conducted. A focal point of the study is to compare the results of monitoring viral load versus CD4 cell count. The researchers predicted that viral load monitoring would help avoid drug resistance – a growing global threat. The ExaVir Load assay is made by Cavidi in Sweden and designed specifically to function in resource-limited settings like those found throughout many parts of Asia.

The researchers were trained at Cavidi’s facilities in Uppsala in the use of ExaVir Load in preparation for the study. The research is being conducted in the province of Quang Ninh. The province is the hardest hit by HIV in Vietnam with a 1.2% infection rate. The country has seen growing levels of infection and has begun to take steps to counter it. One of these steps was to introduce a law on HIV/AIDS prevention and control. It specifies the responsibilities of governmental and social organizations, along with banning discrimination against HIV infected individuals.

A routine part of HIV treatment in many parts of the world, viral load monitoring helps doctors decide when to start ARV therapy and when to switch drugs that are no longer working. This can help prolong a patient’s healthy years, make ARV supplies go further and help slow the emergence of drug-resistant strains of HIV. The researchers hypothesized that the study would show viral load monitoring should also be used in Vietnam.