Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Ministry of Public Security to work closely with relevant agencies to combat AIDS, drug addiction and prostitution.

Speaking at a conference held in Hanoi on February 22 by the National Committee for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, Drugs and Prostitution, Mr Phuc stressed the need to evaluate the real situation and propose appropriate measures against social evils.

He asked agencies at all levels to deal strictly with drug-related crime, develop community-based detoxification programs and create jobs for former drug users.

The Deputy PM asked ministries and functional agencies to replicate the methadone detoxification treatment model and launch campaigns to stamp out prostitution.

Participants at the conference suggested promoting the dissemination of information to raise public awareness of the danger of HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, and prostitution.

They were told that, in 2011, Vietnam detected 14,125 people infected with HIV and 6,432 AIDS patients; of them, 2,431 have died from the fatal disease.

By November 30, 2011, as many as 158,414 drug addicts were reported in 63 provinces and cities nationwide, 8,514 more than in the same period last year.

During the reviewed period, localities treated and educated 3,020 prostitutes, while 36,163 drug addicts were provided with detoxification services.

Source: VOV