HIV/AIDS has wreaked havoc in the commune of Loc Bon, where most of men have gone to Laos to earn a living.
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| Almost empty roads in Loc Bon Commune |
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| Only women and children left at home |
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| Duong Thi L’s house, closed, quiet |
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| Peer educators collect injection needles in Thua Thien-Hue |
The commune in Phu Loc District not only tops the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in the number of people who have gone to Laos to earn money, but also in terms of HIV/AIDS patients.
Up to 3,000 locals, two thirds of the commune’s total population, have emigrated to Laos over the last 20 years to earn money, improving their living conditions.
Each year, these emigres contribute VND10 billion (USD478,468) to the local economy. Most are builders, carpenters, hairdressers or in retail. The neighboring country can often offer better opportunities to such workers.
During Tet, nearly 100 cars appeared in the commune with Laoation license plates. There are many muli-storey homes, showing a rise in their standard of life.
Yet, despite the improvements in the local economy, a wave of HIV/AIDS has hit the community like a storm.
Local residents, Vu Thi Diep and Tran Thi Ly said the town was very crowded during Tet, but after the 20th day of the lunar month of January, it became quiet because most of men returned to Laos. They said if they were five years younger, they would have also gone.
Mrs. Ly showed her roadside house where Duong Thi L, 12 years old, an HIV patient is living. When L was seven years old, her parents took her to Laos to earning their living. A man, who is a friend of Lan’s parents, adopted her. This man ended up raping her, infecting the girl with HIV.
Le Van Khuong, Vice Chairman of Loc Bon Commune, said the commune has identified 21 HIV/AIDS cases, 10 of whom have died from the disease. Most of the patients were infected through unsafe sex with prostitutes.
The real number of HIV patients may be higher than the numbers reported, since more locals have gone to Laos.
“We have tried our best to educate people about the dangers and prevention metnods of HIV/AIDS. But locals working in Laos often come back the home just once or twice a year. This makes it difficult to communicate,” Khuong said.
Tran Thi Ngoc, Director of the Thua Thien-Hue Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, said, by late January this year, the province detected 1,009 HIV patients, including 384 whose had developed AIDS, and 263 AIDS-related deaths since 1993.
The number of HIV/AIDS cases have sharply increased since 2005, with 100 new patients diagnosed every year on average.
