About 80 percent of urban people and 50 percent of rural people in the country will properly learn about HIV/ADIS and know how to prevent the fatal disease, according to Deputy Director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Department Chu Quoc An.

To realize the set target, the Department has worked out specific measures and launched practical programmes aimed at minimizing bad consequences caused by drug addiction in 30 cities and provinces, controlling 75 percent of HIV-infected patients and providing them with healthcare services. In addition, dissemination of information and education work will be boosted to help change the behaviours of HIV-infected people.

Vietnam now has 116,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 20,000 are full-blown AIDS patients and 12,000 have died. According to experts, the disease is prevalent in 10 key cities and provinces, namely Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Dak Lak, Hanoi, An Giang, Dong Thap, Da Nang, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Son La.