The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided more than 216,000 USD this year to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people aged 10-29 in the Mekong delta province of Dong Thap.

The ADB’s assistance has contributed to the national HIV/AIDS prevention and control programme which aims to keep the HIV/AIDS infection rate in the community at below 0.3 percent in 2010 and unchanged after 2010 as well as reduce the HIV/AIDS impacts on the national socio-economic development.

From now until the end of the year, the provincial authorities will organise training courses for high school teachers on anti-HIV/AIDS knowledge, encourage the involvement of the community in helping high-risk and vulnerable young groups and promote information dissemination on the issue on radio and TV.

Dong Thap is striving to reduce its HIV/AIDS infection rate in the community from almost 0.7 percent to 0.3 percent.

The province now has more than 4,700 HIV/AIDS cases with the first one detected in 1992, reported its health department./.