Five nations to fight HIV migrants

Five nations to fight HIV migrants

PHNOM PENH (DPA): Representatives from four countries neighboring Cambodia gathered in the capital on Wednesday to sign an agreement to curb HIV transmission among the increasing number of migrants in the region, especially workers, officials said.

Representatives from China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding intended to increase cooperation between countries to combat the spread of the deadly virus, which may be hastened by the effects of globalization, officials said.

Economic development within ASEAN and surrounding countries is reliant on the mobility of people for exchanging knowledge, goods and services, but this development can also be threatened by the resulting spread of HIV, representatives from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) said.

When workers, especially women, go to areas where they have limited legal status and access to services, or travel from low to high HIV prevalence areas, they become more vulnerable to the virus, UNDP representatives said.