Ho Chi Minh City authorities have set a target of curbing the rate ofpeople living with HIV to under 1 percent by 2015 and maintaining thisfor the following years.

According to Vice Chairman of themunicipal People’s Committee Hua Ngoc Thuan, the city will attempt torestrict new cases of HIV infection to under 0.08 percent by 2015,in a bid to reduce the negative influence of HIV/AIDS on the city’ssocio-economic development.

In addition, the city will alsointensify education and publicity work in a bid to raise thecommunity’s awareness of HIV/AIDS, while focusing on providinganti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV carriers.

New treatment methods with low expense will be also introduced to communities to help people living with HIV easily access them.

Campaignsraising awareness of how to prevent infections from passing betweenpregnant women and their babies will be introduced in the hope oferadicating HIV infections in newborns.

As of 2013, Ho ChiMinh City recorded 58,000 people living with HIV and 33,200 AIDSpatients. The virus has led to the death of some 9.900 people in thecity.

In the 2006-2010 period, there were 6,500 new HIV cases peryear , however the figure was reduced to 2,200 from 2011-1013. Thenumber of deaths caused by AIDS also saw a reducing trend every year.

Inthe coming time, the involvement of entire society is need to eradicateHIV/AIDS infection in the city and the country in general as soon aspossible, Thuan said.-VNA