Ho Chi Minh City(VNA) – The National Action Month against HIV/AIDS 2018 was launched at aceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 with the participation of Ministerof Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and nearly 2,000 representatives of students,armed forces and mass organizations.

Calling for actions from allthe people against HIV/AIDS, the minister said that Vietnam has reapedimpressive achievements in the work over the past years, yet the country is stillfacing many serious challenges like the increasing number of new cases in thehigh-risk group, inadequate attention to the prevention work, the difficultiesin the shift of the treatment to the health insurance, and the lingeringdiscrimination against HIV carriers.

The minister called onleaders of localities, social organizations, the health sector and all thepeople to act more strongly so every people can access prevention services in anearly and sustainable manner.

Speaking highly of Vietnam’sefforts, Director of the UNAIDS Vietnam Marie-Odile Emond noted that so farthis year, the country has successfully realized many new ideas for the peopleto have more choices and easier approaches to prevention services. It will be ahistorical turning point when Vietnam starts to provide treatment servicescovered by the health insurance, she stressed.

Statistics by the healthministry reveal that currently Vietnam counts about 208,000 HIV carriers, eachyear the country has over 8,000 new carriers detected and from 3,000 – 4,000people die of AIDS. At least 50,000 people having HIV are living in thecommunity without knowing they are carrying the virus.-VNA