Children Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS in Vietnam Northern Province on Rise

According to the Son La provincial Department of Labor, War-Invalids and Social Affairs, about 12,500 children in the province are at risk of HIV/AIDS infection. The province has now found 156 children infected with the disease. More than 150 HIV/AIDS-infected children in the province have management profiles and have been freely granted medicines by the healthcare sector. However, children affected by HIV/AIDS in the remote areas of Son La province still meet difficulties in accessing health services. The Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control of Son La province released that the number of people infected with HIV in the province is constantly increasing. As of December 1, 2013, the province had found 8,782 cases of HIV infection, of which nearly 3000 had full blown AIDS. Son La has the second largest rate of people infected with HIV/AIDS among the population in the locality in the country, after Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, Son La has quite a high number of drug users, with 15,000 registered and managed, creating a significant risk of infection for children. Mr. Dam Van Huong, Director of the Son La provincial Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, said that each year Son La recorded an additional 400 new HIV patients. There is a huge challenge for HIV/AIDS prevention and control agencies to limit the number of new HIV infections as well as provide the necessary ARV treatment and care for HIV/AIDS infected people in the province. (Dangcongsan.vn Oct 1)