Nowadays, more and more people are living with HIV and it has become a serious epidemic in Vietnam. The disease is spreading rapidly among the population of injecting drug users, and one of the main obstacles to prevention and treatment is the stigma that marginalizes those who carry the virus. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A report shows that a third of all people in Vietnam are living with HIV. Some municipalities and villages report HIV prevalence more than 10 times higher than the national average, especially in mountainous, remote and ethnic minority areas, where people still have limited knowledge and services do not yet adequately respond to needs. In Vietnam the epidemic remains concentrated in the so-called key population groups: drug users (PWID, 22% in 2013), men who have sex with men (2.4%) and prostitutes (5.3%). The percentage of women living with HIV has been steadily increasing over the years. Most people who reported living with HIV in 2013 (79%) were between 20 and 39 years old (2013 UNAIDS HIV/AIDS estimates) Most people infected with HIV experience a short influenza-like illness that occurs 2-6 weeks after infection. HIV symptoms vary depending on the stage of the infection. Although people living with HIV tend to be more contagious in the early months, many are unaware of their status until later stages. In the first few weeks after the initial infection, people may have no symptoms or experience a flu-like illness including fever, headache, rash, or sore throat. After that, HIV may not cause any symptoms for several years. A During this period, the virus continues to be active and causes progressive damage to people's immune systems. As the infection progressively weakens the immune system, an individual may develop other signs and symptoms, such as swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, diarrhea and cough. Without treatment, they could also develop serious diseases such as tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, serious bacterial infections and cancers. There are three main stages of HIV infection. The first is acute HIV infection which is the earliest stage of HIV infection and generally develops within 2-4 weeks after a person is infected with HIV. During this time, some people experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache, and rash. In the acute phase of the infection, HIV multiplies rapidly and spreads throughout the body. However, some people also develop an opportunistic infection at this stage. Due to their nonspecific character, these symptoms are often not recognized as typical of HIV infection. But during the acute phase of HIV infection, the level of HIV in the blood is very high, which greatly increases the risk of HIV transmission. The second stage is chronic HIV infection. During this phase of the disease, HIV continues to multiply in the body, but at very low levels. People with chronic HIV infection may not have any HIV-related symptoms, but they can still transmit HIV to others. Scientists have said that without treatment with HIV drugs, chronic HIV infection usually progresses to AIDS in 10 years or more, although for some people it may take less time. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The last stage is AIDS, which is the most severe stage.