Vietnam’s Campaign to Wipe Out ‘Social Evils’ Contributes to Spread of HIV, Advocates Say

AIDS workers in Vietnam have said that the government's policy of arresting sex workers and drug users as part of a campaign to wipe out the "social evils" that spread HIV "only makes the problem worse" because "(it drives) everything underground," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Some nongovernmental agencies in the country are urging the government to incorporate state-run rehabilitation centers for prostitutes and drug users into a larger AIDS prevention campaign, including condom distribution, needle-exchange programs and HIV/AIDS education. Vietnam spends $3 million a year on AIDS programs, and the government estimates that there are 107,000 AIDS cases in the country (Schnayerson, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/24). The full article is available online