Background Issues

Vietnam and HIV/AIDS
Mali, Migration and Child Labor
Ethnic conflict in Bosnia

Vietnam and HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, HIV/AIDS is increasing at an alarming rate on par with, if not worse than, many of those countries of Africa most devastated by the epidemic. The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has created a list of 15 "Focus Countries." Vietnam is the only Asian country - and one of only three non-African countries - on the list. In 2006, 260,000 people in Vietnam were living with HIV and 13,000 died of AIDS. While reported cases reflect a relatively smaller, more concentrated epidemic, trends indicate that HIV infection is spreading to the general population. At the current rate, Vietnam is expected to have 1 million cases by 2010, a four-fold increase.
Common assumptions are that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vietnam is concentrated on drug users, due to the sharing of needles, and on sex workers. Both groups are perceived as "social evils" in that culture. This connection between HIV/AIDS and "social evils" was institutionalized when, in 2000, the Vietnamese government formed the National Committee for AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution, which included members of the Department for Social Evil Prevention.

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