Meeting for the International HIV/AIDS Prevention Day

According to the Ministry of Health, 113,000 HIV infected cases have been discovered nationwide, 19,621 of which are AIDS sufferers and there have been 11,247 deaths. It is estimated that there are about 350,000 HIV infected cases in Vietnam at present, and 39,000 cases will be added each year. The rapid transmition of the epidemic has direct impact o­n the human's health, the future and the socio-economic development of the country. Women and children will be the most negatively affected.

Fighting against AIDS the Vietnam Women's Union has implemented a number of activities such as: establishing and replicating effective models of HIV/AIDS preventing; shaping a HIV/AIDS prevention system from the Central level to community; opening training courses to improve the capacity of the Union's managing staff, ect. The Union has committed to enhance the leadership for HIV/AIDS prevention.

At the meeting, the staffs of the Central Vietnam Women's Union were provided with the basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS preventing and combating; the causes of transmition and the ways to protect o­ne's self from the epidemic; as well as the contents of the Law o­n HIV/AIDS Preventing and Combating which was approved o­n June 29, 2006 by the National Assembly.

At the meeting, the representatives of the Department and units of the Central Vietnam Women's Union made presentations o­n the HIV/AIDS preventing activities and committed to be active members in the combat against HIV/AIDS.

The meeting was closed with a march of the youth of the Central Vietnam Women's Union along some streets of Hanoi to express the determination to prevent and to repel the attack of the AIDS epidemic.