THAI NGUYEN — More than 4,000 representatives from political and social organisations, clubs and education groups along with HIV/AIDs victims in the northern Thai Nguyen Province yesterday attended a march to highlight the National Action Month for the Fight against HIV/AIDS 2010.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong said in order to better the fight against the epidemic, competent authorities needed to further raise public awareness to change attitudes towards HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.
Trong said the healthcare sector must enhance services, ensuring HIV/AIDS victims have access to care, assistance, treatment and prevention services. In the meantime, he said, families and social organisations needed to further support HIV/AIDS victims to stop discrimination.
He called on HIV/AIDS carriers to be brave and to help prevent the transmission of the disease.
According to the Ministry of Health, the action month marks the 20th anniversary of Viet Nam's fight against HIV/AIDS. Ministry statistics show that the total number of HIV carriers and AIDS patients stand at 164,000 and 37,000 respectively, while there have been more than 45,000 HIV/AIDS deaths in the country. — VNS
