Annual HIV infections down by a quarter in Asia-Pacific since 2001

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Annual HIV infections down by a quarter in Asia-Pacific since 2001

BANGKOK: -- New HIV infections were down in 2012 by 26 per cent since 2001 in the Asia-Pacific region, to an estimated 350,000,clinching the region's reputation as an Aids-response success story, the United Nations said Tuesday.

"The Aids response in Asia and the Pacific has seen some of the world’s greatest successes," said Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director, in the foreword to the report titled HIV in Asia and the Pacific 2013.

Nearly half of the region’s HIV cases, or 1.24 million people, had access to treatment in 2012, an increase of 46 per cent from 2009,the report said.

"As a result, for many of the 4.9 million people living with HIV (world wide), the disease is no longer a death sentence, but a manageable chronic condition," said the report.

There were an estimated 270,000 Aids-related deaths last year in the Asia-Pacific region, a 18-per-cent decline since 2005.

UNAIDS attributed the region’s success in combatting the HIV/Aids epidemic to "effective community leadership," and impressive government spending.

Domestic public spending for Aids programmes in the region amounted to 1.3 billion dollars in 2012, 59 per cent of the total Aids spending in the region, the report said.

Among countries most impacted by HIV, Malaysia funds 97 per cent of its own Aids response, China 88 per cent and Thailand 85 per cent, it noted.

Although generally a success story, UNAIDS warned "there are signs that the progress in Asia and the Pacific may be at risk of stagnating." "In some countries, there are new HIV epidemics in local geographic areas and among key populations at higher risk -particularly men who have sex with men," Sidibe said.

HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men is especially high in major Asian cities, with a 24.7-per-cent prevalence in Bangkok, 17.2 per cent in Jakarta and 14 per cent in Ho Chi Minh.

"The pace of progress needs to be redoubled to sustain past achievements, drive results and meet global Aids targets by the end of 2015," Sidibe said.


-- The Nation 2013-11-19

[Thai at Heart]

"As a result, for many of the 4.9 million people living with HIV (world wide),

Is this correct? I would have imagined that this number was much much higher.

[Water Buffalo]

Thailand does have excellent HIV prevention facilities and a very good attitude.

Its unbelievable to think, though, that 1 in 4 gay men in Bangkok are HIV-positive.

[Thai at Heart]

The more I read this, the less it makes sense statistically.

There are 1.24 mn people in the Asian region living with HIV but there are 350,000 new infection every year?

The life expectancy of this entire 350,000 is 4 years approximately? I fear this journalist might have got his decimal points somewhere mixed up.

http://www.who.int/gho/hiv/epidemic_status/cases_all_text/en/

As of 2011, the global number of people living with HIV is 34.0 million [31.4 million–35.9 million], compared to 29.4 million [27.2 million–32.1 million] in 2001 – a 16% increase. This reflects the high numbers of people newly infected with HIV along with significantly expanded access to antiretroviral therapy, which has helped to reduce the number of people dying from AIDS-related causes, especially since 2004–2005.

So where does the figure of 4mn globally come from. If these statistics are skewed as badly as this, it is a really really bad bit of reporting.

[skills32]

Damn!

I'm going to have to increase my activity before it is wiped out completely; haven't had it yet.

Edited November 19, 2013 by skills32