New HIV Infections Drop 20 Percent In Asia-Pacific

New HIV infections drop 20 per cent in Asia-Pacific

The number of new HIV infections in the Asia-Pacific region dropped 20 per cent between 2001 and 2009, as governments invested in preventative programmes and increased access to antiretroviral drugs, a United Nations report said Friday.

Across Asia, the number of new HIV infections dropped from about 450,000 in 2001 to 360,000 in 2009, the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) said in its latest report on the region.

The report was launched in Pusan, South Korea.

"I think it is very important to make the world understand that we are at the crossroads today in Asia and the Pacific, because efforts have been made," UNAids executive director Michel Sidibe said.

But he cautioned, "We cannot be complacent. In Asia particularly we are seeing a growing number of infections among most-at-risk populations."

-- The Nation 2011-08-26