UNAIDS leader praises Vietnam’s HIV prevention

The Lao Dong (Labour) daily quoted the UNAIDS Executive Director as saying that around 28,000 HIV patients in Vietnam are expected to access treatment services in HIV/AIDS prevention programmes this year, compared with 11,600 people in 2007 and 24,500 people in 2008.

HIV prevention programmes must be expanded in the Asian region, he said, adding that they include programmes to exchange injection needles, provide substitution treatment for drug users, deliver condoms and invite people in high-risk groups to use voluntary HIV testing and consultation services.

In Asia, over 1,000 new HIV-infected cases are recorded each day, according to UNAIDS.