The four national Age Concerns in the UK have joined together with Help the Aged to form new national charities dedicated to improving the lives of older people.

Age Concern England (charity number 261794) has merged with Help the Aged (charity number 272786) to form Age UK, a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England: registered office address 207 - 221 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9UZ, company number 6825798, registered charity number 1128267. Age Concern and Help the Aged are brands of Age UK. The three national Age Concerns in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have also merged with Help the Aged in these nations to form three registered charities: Age Scotland, Age NI, Age Cymru.

HIV and AIDS in Vietnam

In Asia, national HIV prevalence is highest in South-East Asia, with wide variation in epidemic trends between different countries. While the epidemics in Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand all show declines in HIV prevalence, those in Indonesia (especially in the Papua province) and Vietnam are growing.’[1]

Vietnam’s HIV epidemic remains largely concentrated among key populations at higher risk, with high HIV prevalence among injecting drug users (IDUs), female sex workers and their partners, and men having sex with men (MSM). Significant interaction between the risk behaviours of sharing injecting equipment and unprotected sex, particularly among young men, continues to drive the HIV epidemic in Vietnam.[2]

HIV Worldwide

  • Number of people living with HIV in 2007 = 33.2 million
  • People newly infected with HIV in 2007 = 2.5 million
  • AIDS deaths in 2007 = 2.1 million[3]
  • Every day, over 6,800 people become infected with HIV[4]
  • 90% of AIDS care is provided at home, often by older women[5]
  • Up to two thirds of people living with AIDS are cared for by their parents in their 60s and 70s[6]
  • Over 60% of orphaned children live in households headed by their grandparents in highly affected countries[7]
  • Data on HIV prevalence among over 50s is limited as data collection focuses on 15-49 year olds[8]
  • UNAIDS estimate the number of invisible older people living with HIV at 2.8 million[9]

HIV in South-East Asia

  • After sub-Saharan Africa, South and South-East Asia has the highest number of people living with HIV; highest number of new infections; and highest number of adult and child deaths due to AIDS[10]
  • In addition to declines in new infections in sub-Saharan Africa between 2001 and 2007, the estimated annual number of new HIV infections decreased in South and South-East Asia from 450,000 in 2001 to 340,000 in 2007 … These regional incidence figures can mask the fact that the actual number of persons living with HIV may be increasing … in individual countries, such as Viet Nam and Indonesia, the prevalence of HIV is growing[11]

HIV in Vietnam

  • Adult (15-49) prevalence rate = 0.5%
  • Deaths (in 2005) due to AIDS-related illnesses = 13,000
  • New infections (in 2005) = 37,000[12]
  • More than 100 Vietnamese become infected with HIV every day[13]
  • The estimated number of people living with HIV in Vietnam has more than doubled between 2000 and 2005 from 120,000 to 260,000[14]
  • People living with HIV are getting younger; heterosexual transmission is becoming more significant[15]
  • In 2006, an estimated one third of people living with HIV were women[16]
  • Quang Ninh province = highest HIV prevalence; Ho Chi Minh City= highest # of reported HIV cases[17]

1

[1] 2007 AIDS epidemic update, UNAIDS and WHO, 2007

[2] The 3rd country report on following up the implementation to he Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS, The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Jan 2008

[3] 2007 AIDS epidemic update, UNAIDS and WHO, 2007

[4] ditto

[5] The impact of HIV/AIDS on older people, HelpAge International website

[6] ditto

[7] ditto

[8] ditto

[9] Older people and HIV/AIDS: facts and figures, HelpAge International website

[10] 2007 AIDS epidemic update, UNAIDS and WHO, 2007

[11] ditto

[12]2005 estimates from UNAIDS (2006) Report on Global AIDS Epidemic and 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update

[13] UNAIDS Vietnam, Vietnam News, 30 Nov 2007

[14] Ministry of Health Viet Nam, 2005, HIV Epidemic Update 2007, UNAIDS and WHO

[15] ditto

[16] Viet Nam Commission for Population et al, 2006, HIV Epidemic Update 2007, UNAIDS and WHO)

[17] ditto