VietNamNet Bridge – Ngai Dang commune of Mo Cay Nam district, Ben Tre province has had three more HIV-positive people, bringing the number of HIV carriers in this place to 17. Of them, eight have developed into AIDS and two died.

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It is worrying that 14 out of 17 HIV carriers in Ngai Dang commune were detected in 2012 alone.

In March 2012, one man in Phu Dang Hamlet was detected to be positive for HIV. After that other 10 people, also in Phu Dang village, were found to be HIV carriers. All of them are male farmers.

Of the three latest cases, one person comes from Phu Dang hamlet and two from Binh Son hamlet, of Ngai Dang commune.

Currently, Ngai Dang commune has 17 people living with HIV, including 12 in Phu Dang, five in Binh Son (two died because of AIDS). Eleven of them are being treated by anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs).

Since the discovery of dozens of people living with HIV in Ngai Dang, the Center for AIDS Prevention of Ben Tre province and the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute have organized several training courses for these patients to instruct them to take care of themselves and to treat the disease at home as well as to prevent HIV transmission.

According to experts at the National AIDS Prevention Agency and the HCM City Pasteur Institute, the cause of HIV infection for these farmers has not been defined yet.

Compiled by S. Ha