Women living with HIV/AIDS lead campaign against disease (21-12-2006) Consultants popularise use of protection against HIV/AIDS at Cau Giay District of Ha Noi. — VNA/VNS Photo Duong Ngoc HA NOI — With her cheerful face and her brisk, strong carriage, no one would suspect Tam (not her real name) is living with HIV/AIDS. Tam was diagnosed HIV-positive when she was six months pregnant with her first child. Unable to believe the result, she tried different hospitals in various province and cities of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and Ha Noi in the hope she would get a different answer, but it was always the same. She did not know how she had contracted the disease until her husband died of a critical illness. After hearing the news, there were several times when Tam wanted to die. But the baby inside her reminded Tam to withstand this situation in silence. She began looking for information on how to prevent HIV/AIDS being transmitted from mother to child. Happiness smiled upon … [Read more...] about Women living with HIV/AIDS lead campaign against disease
People living with hiv aids
Can Tho helps people living with HIV integrate into the community
Can Tho helps people living with HIV integrate into the community (08-01-2007) Youth from the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region take part in a camp to fight drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in the province of Can Tho. Over 600 youth attended the camp. — VNA/VNS Photo Trang Duong CAN THO — Patients with HIV/AIDS are playing a dangerous game of hide and seek with healthcare workers in Can Tho City’s AIDS Prevention Centre. "People living with HIV and their families still bear a great inferiority complex," Dr Ta Kim Anh said. "It hampers our work." Dr Anh is part of the newly-established healthcare centre in the Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta region that has so far diagnosed 4,600 people in the community with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Eight hundred and fifty have died from AIDS. The struggling centre now is managing 1,300 people living with the virus; however, local authorities and health workers are worried about the number of people who unknowingly have the disease, or … [Read more...] about Can Tho helps people living with HIV integrate into the community
Fear isolates people living with HIV
Fear isolates people living with HIV (30-07-2007) by Phan Thuy HA NOI — "The fear of dying is the main reason for people to stay away from HIV/AIDS patients," explains Tran Tien Duc, country director of the Health Policy Initiative (HPI) funded by USAID. "Most people still think they might contract HIV through casual contact, which is totally wrong," said Duc. To the popular imagination, HIV/AIDS is considered easily catching and highly fatal, even though the reality is that it can only be transmitted through blood-to-blood contact and that effective treatments have now allowed many people with HIV to live long, productive lives. But fear remains powerful, affecting even those who should know better. Medical personnel, who are equipped with knowledge and training about how to control the spread of blood-born diseases, still shrink away from possible contact with the HIV virus. Recently, for instance, Army Hospital 175 in HCM City shocked the community when a group of doctors … [Read more...] about Fear isolates people living with HIV
Clubs support to people living with HIV/AIDS
Hanoi Times – A US$ 1.1million project to assist people living with HIV/AIDS through community clubs and microfinance is proving successful in mitigating impacts of the illness on the community. The five-year project, implemented in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh and Quang Ninh provinces since 2005, is using a community-based approach to improve the health care services and conditions of those living with HIV/AIDS, as well as support families and reduce risks for vulnerable groups. It also aims to raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention and control, and reduce the stigma often associated with those inflicted with the virus. As part of the project, Thai Nguyen province set up 15 clubs for 766 people with HIV/AIDS or living and supporting someone with the illness. About 400 club members were provided with loans worth VND 790 million to promote business and production – from raising cattle to creating handicrafts. The project is sponsored by the Big … [Read more...] about Clubs support to people living with HIV/AIDS
Nurse Phan Vu Ngoc Phuong and her sympathy for people living with HIV/AIDS
(VOVworld) – Phan Vu Ngoc Phuong has been a nurse for 32 years. Her sympathy for HIV carriers has relieved their pain, encouraging them to think positively and be more optimistic. Phuong works at Tien Giang province’s HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Center. Her daily work is giving HIV carriers consultations, care and treatment guidance but whenever the doctors are absent, she also provides medical examinations. Phuong says that by listening to the patients’ stories, she learns something about their feelings and their circumstances so she can think of a way to encourage them. Phuong has been caring for HIV carriers for more than 10 years and she feels sorry for the social stigma against them. Phuong says she considers HIV carriers to be like family members because she understands their mental pain: “Some HIV positive people were abandoned by their families and died in the hospital. I feel very sorry for them and sympathy is what motivates me in my … [Read more...] about Nurse Phan Vu Ngoc Phuong and her sympathy for people living with HIV/AIDS