Dr William Brian McNaull. — Photo courtesy of Family Medical Practice By Dr William Brian McNaull* What is AIDS? AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. Once HIV infection develops into AIDS, infections and cancer pose a greater risk. Without treatment, HIV infection is likely to develop into AIDS as the immune system gradually wears down. However, advances in ART mean than an ever-decreasing number of people progress to this stage. By damaging your immune system, HIV interferes with your body's ability to fight the organisms that cause disease. There's no cure for HIV/AIDS, but there are medications that can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations. Primary infection (Acute HIV) Most people infected by HIV develop a flu-like illness within a month or two after the virus enters the body. This illness, known as primary or acute HIV infection, may last for a few weeks. Possible signs and … [Read more...] about To-your-health: Raise awareness about AIDS
Baby shark when did it come out
Man loses cousin, brother in successive accidents; another loses his wife
"I only saw a glimpse of a truck coming at me and then I blacked out. When I came to, I was in the hospital," said Luong Van May. May, a native of the northern highlands province of Son La, and his wife, 34-year-old Hoang Thi Em, had come to Hai Duong Province on Monday to work in a leather shoe factory. On Tuesday morning, he was taking his wife on a motorbike to the factory. "I, my wife and about 10 others... there were four motorbikes... we were waiting at an intersection to cross the street. We saw an accident had happened a little ahead of where we stood, but we didn’t intend to go there because we were afraid we would be late for work," he said. None of the people waiting at the intersection had an inkling that another accident was just waiting to happen. May’s pain from his injuries, including a dislocation of his hand, was nothing compared to the grief of losing his wife in the accident. He was initially taken to the Hai Duong General Hospital, but was transferred … [Read more...] about Man loses cousin, brother in successive accidents; another loses his wife
A 350 kph train is fast, but where will it get Vietnam?
La Ngoc Khue, former Deputy Minister of Transport, said that a slower train is a far better option for the country at present, instead of the superfast train that comes with a very heavy budget burden. Khue said that a train speed of 350 kilometers per hour (kph) as proposed by the Ministry of Transport (MoT) is redundant. "As the TEDI-TRICC-TEDISOUTH consultancy consortium has estimated, actual demand in 2050 would only meet 40 percent of its capacity of 364,000 people a day. This means 60 percent of seats will not be occupied, while no cargo will be transported, a huge waste of capacity," he told VnExpress. Railways should have the capacity to transport cargo. The World Bank has noted that Vietnam’s logistics cost accounts for 21 percent of its GDP, twice that of Thailand. The main reason is that Vietnam is far too dependent on roads while existing railway routes carry a small fraction of the total volume, Khue noted. "Both China and Japan own the world’s … [Read more...] about A 350 kph train is fast, but where will it get Vietnam?
Multiple ministries responsible for ‘illegal’ state telco acquisition of pay TV firm: watchdog
Vietnam's top watchdog has announced the findings of its investigation into state-run MobiFone’s acquisition of pay TV firm AVG, which caused a loss of over $310 million to the state. According to the Government Inspectorate, the Ministry of Information and Communications had violated the Investment Law by approving MobiFone’s acquisition of AVG without the Prime Minister’s approval. The ministry approved the deal despite the fact details of the price of the 95 percent stake in the TV operator and the project’s investment efficiency had not been fully assessed, the inspectorate added. The ministry reported to the Prime Minister and relevant agencies that 30 percent of funding for MobiFone’s acquisition of AVG was expected to come from the telco’s own equity, and the rest from loans. However, funding for the project was not clearly identified when the ministry approved the acquisition. In fact, 100 percent of funding for the acquisition came from … [Read more...] about Multiple ministries responsible for ‘illegal’ state telco acquisition of pay TV firm: watchdog
Direct US flights: Vietnam’s 16-year-old dream remains unfulfilled
The Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2003 ordered Vietnam Airlines to begin direct services by 2005. Not only did it not comply but to this day the flag carrier remains concerned about the route’s profitability though it received a permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation for direct flights in September. Its CEO, Duong Tri Thanh, said it would be difficult to attract passengers with direct flights, referring to the fact they would be more expensive than a flight with a stopover en route. Direct flights would thus appeal mostly to business-class passengers, but their current number is not large enough to make the flights profitable, he said. Echoing Thanh, Nawal Taneja, an aviation expert at The Ohio State University, said business-class passengers should be the focus since they travel regularly and are willing to pay more for speed and efficient service. There should be daily flights, he added. Another concern is logistics. Thanh said as of now his carrier has no … [Read more...] about Direct US flights: Vietnam’s 16-year-old dream remains unfulfilled