'Many people living with HIV / AIDS die from discrimination'

Simplicity, former US President Bill Clinton entered a talk about AIDS prevention in Hanoi yesterday amid endless applause. He smiled and greeted everyone, then patted the arm of an HIV-infected Vietnamese girl next to him.

The girl is Pham Thi Hue, who said that "she once intended to commit suicide after knowing she was carrying the HIV virus, had many difficulties in life " due to the stigma of everyone.

"Many people with HIV / AIDS die because of the discrimination of those around them. When the less we understand about them, the more we risk them," Clinton said. "We are only afraid of what we don't understand. The younger generation should not be afraid of AIDS."

Mr. Clinton at the seminar.On the right is Pham Thi Hue.(Photo: Hoang Ha)

One of the best measures to fight AIDS, according to his former president and humanitarian fund president, is to create conditions for people with AIDS to be treated and not to spread the virus to the community. Clinton commented that discrimination has been going on in many places.

"During the 8 years of working at the White House, I placed a picture of a baby infected with HIV / AIDS on my table. At that time, the baby was not treated, she could not go to school because the school was afraid of spreading the disease" President said. "The baby died in 2002".

"For me, that picture says a lot. The ignorance of the people around can cause a disaster for people with AIDS."

According to Clinton, for people to better understand AIDS, propaganda needs to be effective and implemented in many places. When asked if he had any advice for young people in AIDS, Clinton said: "We need to use people like Hue, because she will work very well. Students should also go to the a remote place to educate people about AIDS ".

In addition to anti-discrimination propaganda, Clinton argues that building infrastructure and training doctors to treat diseases are necessary measures, in parallel with seeking antiviral drugs. The Clinton Foundation today also signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health of Vietnam to support medicines for HIV / AIDS patients in Vietnam. Since opening an office in Vietnam, the Foundation has provided treatment for about 500 HIV-infected children and helped train 100 doctors.

Pham Thi Hue, after a long struggle with stigma and hardship, is now the founder of "Hoa Phuong Do" , an organization that helps people living with HIV / AIDS. She said that Mr. Clinton's arrival in Hanoi discussed AIDS and signed an agreement to help treat HIV-infected people with more faith in life.

"Today is a memorable day in my life. He (Clinton) has given a deep affection to our HIV-infected people, to HIV-infected children and women in Vietnam," Hue said. "The way he talked and shook hands was so sociable."

T. Huyen