Hanoi (VNA) - The National Assembly (NA) on November 16 approved a law amending and supplementing certain articles of the law on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

As many as 440 deputies, or 91.29 percent of the total, voted in favour of the law at the ongoing 10th session of the 14th NA.

Scheduled to start taking effect on July 1, 2021, it amends and supplements 15 articles of the law on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

It adds a number of groups with high-risk behaviour to those prioritised to access information, education, and communications on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

The new law expands the participation of HIV-infected people and those with high-risk behaviour in some anti-HIV/AIDS measures, while supplementing pre-exposure preventive treatment measures to increase the effectiveness of HIV transmission prevention among those at risk of exposure and exposed to the virus.

It also reduces the age when people are entitled to ask for voluntary HIV testing to 15, so as to match the reality that more young people have contracted HIV.

The law also increases the groups given the right to access the information of those infected, to meet requirements in State management, epidemiological supervision, and virus transmission prevention and control./.