Asia-Pacific nations take measures to prevent AIDS epidemic

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Asia-Pacific nations take measures to prevent AIDS epidemic

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Facing an alarming increase of people living with HIV/AIDS in the region, Asia-Pacific nations on Monday observed the World AIDS Day by launching various programs to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 7 million people infected with HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) or developed AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in the Asia-Pacific region. More than half a million people in the region died of AIDS in 2003, which makes one death from AIDS every minute.

This has alarmed Asia-Pacific governments and health organizations that without major investments and concrete measuresin prevention and care, the situation will be even worse in the coming years.

To tackle the problem, various programs have been launched in the region.

In Thailand, which was selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a regional example for the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to poor people suffering from the HIV virus, the government announced on Monday that it has set aside 1.629 billionbaht (40.725 million US dollars) for the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to 50,000 HIV sufferers for the year 2004

The New Zealand Ministry of Heal on Monday announced a HIV/AIDSaction plan in which an extra 3 million NZ dollars (1.82 million US dollars) will be appropriated for fighting the AIDS epidemic. The funding will be spent on supporting national and local sexual health services and safer sex campaign in 2004.

Myanmar, which has a total of 6,727 AIDS cases reported and 45,968 HIV infections estimated as of the end of March this year, hasworked out a three-year joint program (2003-05) to fight HIV/AIDS which is recognized as one of the three priority communicable diseases in the country.

The nation's National AIDS Program (NAP) has announced that thenation planned to expand two anti-AIDS programs to promote 100-percent condom use and prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. Both of the programs will be expanded by the end of this year to 58 townships and 22 townships from 44 and 12, respectively, last year.

Meanwhile, the NAP has been drafting guidelines for voluntary testing for HIV and voluntary counseling for those who have contracted the virus and the draft is expected to be completed next year.

India, with an estimated 3.8 million to 4.6 million people, thehighest number in Asia, living with HIV/AIDS, launched a large-scale rally on Nov. 30, hoping that it would encourage people to break the silence and the barriers to effective HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

In a major initiative, the Indian government will provide drugsfor the disease in government hospitals as pharmaceutical industries pledged to lower their prices if incentives were provided.

As more HIV infectious are occurring in the 15-24 years age group, considered one of the high-risk groups if they are not given adequate and proper education on the disease, the PhilippineDepartment of Health has launched a new ABCD strategy to influencethe youth fight the disease.

The main point of A stands for Awareness of the problem and Acceptance of responsibility; B for Belief in yourself and the future; C for Commitment and Choice to do something about it and take Control of your life; and D for you to make a Difference.

The Vietnamese Health Ministry has submitted a national strategy on HIV/AIDS control by 2010 with the target of reducing the percentage of infected cases among local residents to less than 0.3 percent by 2010, keeping it unchanged afterwards.

Seeing the number of the HIV/AIDS sufferers increased 10 folds in 2000 from that of the 1990s to 73,660 HIV carriers, including 11,254 AIDS patients, the government will launch programs to assist street children, and disable and ethnic minority people in accessing to information and service to minimize HIV infecting risk among the group. Local residents are encouraged to test HIV before marriage.

The ministry has asked the government to encourage enterprises to train and employ people among high-risk groups of HIV infection,and ban them to sack HIV/AIDS sufferers from work.

According to an official program, the Nepali government is to provide free treatment to HIV-infected pregnant women and newborn babies from December.

Afghanistan, which has relatively escaped the killer disease unscathed during the last two decades when it was suffering war and civil conflicts, also paid great attention to the spreading ofthe disease.

As a prevention measure, the Afghan government on Monday launched a nation-wide campaign to raise popular awareness on threats of AIDS. In the one-month campaign, national and local radio programs will be arranged on HIV transmission and basic preventative measures of the disease. A number of round-table meetings and debate on the disease will be held.

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