HANOI, Nov 30 (AFP) - HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate in Vietnam, especially among young adults, a senior United Nations official said Tuesday.
Sixty-two per cent of the 84,000 people in the communist nation confirmed to have contracted HIV are between 20 and 29 years old, said UNAIDS country representative Nancy Fee.
"As it is an epidemic of young people, this is a very serious issue for the future of Vietnam, and its future economic situation," she told a conference to mark World AIDS day on Wednesday.
"We need them to be economically productive. But if they become infected with HIV and don't receive care, the situation is very serious for themselves, for the community and their family," Fee added.
For the moment the virus continues to remain concentrated among high-risk groups such as injecting drug users and sex workers.
HIV experts, however, are gravely concerned about the growing number of people outside of these groups, particularly pregnant women, who are testing positive for the virus. They warn Vietnam is on the cusp of an epidemic.
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 215,000 people have contracted HIV in the country but only around 84,000 have been diagnosed with the virus. Independent experts say as many as 300,000 could be HIV-positive.
Vietnam is expected to receive up to 50 million dollars from international donors by early 2006 to help fight the disease.
In June US President George W. Bush added Vietnam to the list of countries eligible for funding to help tackle its emerging HIV/AIDS crisis.
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