Vietnam's HIV rate jumps 57%
Vietnam has gained the grim record for posting the highest
percentage of new HIV cases in the world.
Vietnam has gained the grim record for posting the highest percentage of
new
HIV cases in the world.
In the past year 9,024 people in Vietnam tested positive for the virus,
a 57
percent increase over the same period last year.
The official Youth Newspaper, Tuoi Tre, said the total number of people
infected in the country stands at 52,434.
The newspaper said that 1,146 HIV carriers had developed full-blown AIDS
since January, a 40 percent increase over the
previous
year. The disease claimed 633 deaths, up 27 percent from the same period
last year.
Health experts say the actual number of HIV carriers in Vietnam is
considerably higher than what the government admits.
Southern Ho Chi Minh City, the nation's commercial hub, remains at the
top
of the list for the number of HIV carriers, followed by the northern
province of Quang Ninh, the northern port city of Hai Phong, and Hanoi,
the
newspaper said.
The first case of HIV was detected in Vietnam in 1990.
365 Gay.com - August 2nd, 2002
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