Activities to mark World AIDS Day

A month-long campaign is jointly launched by the Health Ministry and UNAIDS o­n November 12, which will include cultural and art performances, seminar o­n HIV/AIDS prevention and fund-raising events. High risk persons will be encouraged to take voluntary HIV tests in six key provinces and cities where the disease is widespread.

At a press conference o­n the campaign, Duong Quoc Trong, Head of the Vietnam HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department, emphasised the role of the media in education the public to change their dangerous habits.

He noted that Vietnam has a legal system o­n AIDS control. The Law o­n AIDS Prevention and Control, which came to effect from January 1, 2007, for its has been highly appreciated by international organisations for its provisions o­n health insurance for HIV infected people and the rights and obligations of HIV carriers.

According to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department, Vietnam now has about 300,000 HIV infected people, and between 30-40 new cases are detected each day.

Since the first HIV/AIDS case detected in the country by the end of 1990, the epidemic has spread among drug addicts since 1993. By December 1998, the epidemic appeared in other social groups but the majority of infected people are still in the high risk groups such as drug addicts and prostitutes.