"Breaking into" a commune with 42 people infected with HIV
Thousands of people were extremely confused by the news that 42 people in their commune tested positive for HIV. Many people went to the "field" HIV clinic to get tested.
The Director of the Preventive Medicine Center of Tan Son District, Phu Tho Province, said that the Department of Health of this province has directed the establishment of a specialized HIV clinic in Tan Son to serve the people of Kim Thuong Commune for testing. On the morning of August 15, 24 people came to get tested.
Entering Kim Thuong commune these days, the atmosphere is gloomy. Local people said that the commune has just been isolated for dozens of days due to the impact of storm Son Tinh, which caused roads to be flooded and landslides to cut off. "People are not afraid of natural storms even though they are isolated, but the "HIV storm" has made everyone in the commune confused and afraid. Especially when the cause of the disease has not been found yet," said Mr. Hoang, a local resident.
All the people that the reporter contacted at the Kim Thuong Commune People's Committee headquarters and the commune infirmary were confused after the news that 42 people in the commune were infected with HIV for unknown reasons. Many people went to the district health center, the provincial hospital, and even to Hanoi to get tested.
These days, the story of people infected with HIV has become a "news" for the people in the commune. Everyone is talking about it in panic and worry.
Ms. Hang, the owner of a local grocery store, said that since the news of 42 people in the commune being infected with HIV, hundreds of people in the commune have flocked to the provincial hospital in Hanoi to get tested. "My family also got tested, and luckily they were all negative," Ms. Hang said.
Blue-plate cars carrying the delegation of leaders of Phu Tho Department of Health arrived at Kim Thuong medical station to find solutions and reassure the people.
People of Kim Thuong commune check their health at the commune infirmary. Everyone's face is bewildered and confused.
The commune health station was packed with people, many people were confused because they and their family members had not been tested for HIV.
“Today, dozens of families in the commune who had not been tested before have gone to the province and Hanoi to get tested. I am very confused. My nephew suddenly lost all his hair, so the whole family is worried. Today, the clinic only gave vaccinations, so tomorrow I will take him to the district health center to get tested,” Mrs. H. worried.
Babies come to the hospital for vaccinations and regular health check-ups.
The fact that an 18-month-old baby tested positive for HIV, suspected to have been infected with a syringe at a doctor's house in the commune, has made those who brought their children there for injections uneasy.
Some people worriedly brought their children to Kim Thuong clinic to get blood tested for HIV. Before that, they had taken their children to the commune doctor's house to get injections.
Leaders of the Phu Tho Department of Health worked at the Kim Thuong commune health station on the afternoon of August 15. The cause of HIV infection in Kim Thuong is still an unanswered question as the authorities have not yet reached a final conclusion.
Many HIV positive people have come to a doctor's house in the commune to get injections to cure the disease.