A Prologue

Between July 22 – 27, researchers, policymakers, activists and people living with HIV/AIDS will convene at the 2012 International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C.

This is the first time in 22 years that the world’s largest HIV/AIDS conference will be held in the US. Although the conference hosted its 1985 inaugural meeting in the U.S. and two additional meetings in 1987 and 1990, a controversial decision to ban travelers with HIV/AIDS from entering the US sparked enough outrage that the conference had to be held outside of its first home for over two decades. The decision to return stateside only came after President Barack Obama’s 2009 pledge to remove travel restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS, which came into effect early 2010.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Turning the Tide’s Together,” a recognition that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has reached a defining moment where new medical advancements could lead to large-scale prevention and treatment. The theme also reflects the cross-sector response needed to effectively stem the spread of the disease and the misconceptions associated with it. Governments, the private sector, NGOs and private individuals all have a role in reversing the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

As the conference date approaches, VNHELP will bring you a two-part post on HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. The first will be an overview of the current state of HIV/AIDS in Vietnam and what’s being done about it. The second part will take a closer look at the history of the disease in Vietnam.

(more…)

Want to light up a cigarette in public? Not so fast, say lawmakers in Vietnam.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Vietnam has passed a law banning smoking in all public places. The law also prohibits tobacco advertising and bans the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18. The law is set to go into effect in May 2013.

High tobacco use is certainly an issue in Vietnam and throughout most of Asia. According to the World Health Organization, 40,000 people die of tobacco-related causes in Vietnam each year. The figure is expected to rise. One in three boys ages 15 – 24 smokes. The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), an anti-smoking group, estimates that there are 15.3 million smokers in Vietnam, and nearly half of all adult males smoke.

The question now is, will this new law have any impact? A similar decree was passed in 2010, banning smoking in public, raising taxes on tobacco and restricting cigarette sales. But the decree was seen to have little effect, as public smoking and cigarette sales remain casual sights in Vietnam.

Rather than pure legislative action, regulation coupled with a greater public health awareness campaign might be the path to go.

Source: AFP