Central Department of Propaganda and Training and Parliamentary Committee of Social Affairs: worked at Dongnai province on the prevention of HIV/AIDS

According to the reports of the provincial Steering Committee on the prevention of AIDS, Drugs, Prostitution, since the first case of HIV discovered in 1993 the HIV infection in the area of Dongnai province is becoming more and more complicated. At present, the number of HIV-infected people in Dongnai is 6,279 of which 335 people were discovered to be infected with this disease in the first half of 2007. What’s worrying is not only the fact that the number of HIV- infected people is increasing recently but also that the number of localities where exist HIV- infected people has completely covered 171 wards and communes in the whole province.

In 2003, Dongnai province founded the Steering Committee to carry out the project of “Prevention of HIV infection in Vietnam”. From then on, it has deployed quite a number of projects of HIV/AIDS prevention among which some projects received the supports from foreign organizations like World Bank, Life Gap, DFID projects and so on. In particular, the prevention of HIV/AIDS has been carried out in all fields including information, propaganda, supervision, blood transfusion safety, treatment and so forth. Every year, the provincial HIV/AIDS Prevention Center in co-ordination with other organizations like Women’s Association, Labour Union, Labour and Social Welfare Service, HCM Communist Youth Union, Service of Culture and Information and Radio and Television Station opens hundreds of direct communication class for the subjects of women, youngsters, students and workers of industrial zones; the subjects of drug-addicts, prostitutes, restaurant and hotel waiters and waitresses and HIV-infected people; and the subjects of cadres, and army men of the units under the provincial Military Headquarters.

With those activities, in 2006 the HIV/AIDS prevention succeeded in 3 decreases: decrease in the number of HIV-infected people of 2006 down to 915/1,179 in comparion with that of 2005; decrease in the number of HIV-infected people switching to AIDS-infected 107/125; and decrease in the number of deaths caused by AIDS 42/59. However, the rate of HIV-infected people in Dongnai province is still high, ranking the third comparing with 20 provinces and cities in the Southern region, and ranking the sixth comparing with 64 provinces and cities in the whole country.

This afternoon, the delegation will pay a visit to some units of HIV prevention in the province.

(Translated by THKC)