KABUL, Dec 1 (AFP) - The United Nations Sunday urged swift action by the international community to support Afghanistan's AIDS awareness campaign, warning the incurable disease could reach "catastrophic" levels in the once-isolated country.
Returning refugees who may be carrying sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), increased intravenous drug use in the country's south and prostitution could make Afghanistan a hotbed of HIV/AIDS infection as the disease winds its way across central Asia.
Such an onslaught could spell trouble both for Afghans and its decrepit public health system.
"In Afghanistan we do not know the exact situation of the epidemic but we know HIV is present," said Nigel Fisher, the UN deputy special representative for Afghanistan, in an address to mark World AIDS Day.
"Today signals a fresh start for Afghanistan. The openness and willingness to act early to ensure the epidemic does not reach catastrophic proportions is obvious."
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome itself were not identified as problems under the deeply-conservative Taliban regime, which was toppled last year by a US-led military coalition.
And while the World Health Organistation estimates the number of people with HIV to be less than 100 in Afghanistan, AIDS is spreading more rapidly across central Asia than any other part of the world.
"In the Islamic Republic of Iran, for example, the national AIDS programme reported that new HIV infections and AIDS cases in 2001 showed a three-fold increase in comparison to both the year prior and 1999," Fisher said.
"Injection drug use drives the epidemic, but there has also been a significant increase in STD cases. Similar rates are found in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan."
Fisher said a series of radio and television broadcasts had been launched to raise awareness about AIDS in Afghanistan and prevent discrimination against those already infected with the disease for which there is no known cure.
"A vital issue is stopping discrimination against those infected with HIV and those high risk groups, such as injecting drug users, returnees and sex workers," he said.
"Discrimination drives the epidemic underground. It is important this does not happen in Afghanistan."
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