HANOI, Aug 4 (AFP) - More than 900 people died of AIDS-related illnesses in Vietnam during the first seven months of 2003, reports said Monday, an increase of nearly 100 percent compared to the same period last year.
Ministry of Health figures cited by Ho Chi Minh City's state-sanctioned Tuoi Tre newspaper said 8,800 new cases of HIV infection had been registered in 2003, increasing the nationwide number of infections to 69,000.
A total of 1,600 HIV cases developed into AIDS during the same, the newspaper reporting, adding that the "number of deaths from AIDS in Vietnam is rising rapidly every year."
International health experts believe the true level of HIV infection may be several times higher than the official figures, with estimates ranging up to 300,000.
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