Associated Press - November 25, 2005

Philip O'Brien, UNICEF's regional director who is on a visit to Malaysia, said efforts to combat the epidemic in the region are inadequate, often hamstrung by a lack of funds and a denial among the political and religious communities about the seriousness of the problem.

He said last year some 39,100 children in South and East Asia died of AIDS while 169,000 children under the age of 15 were HIV-positive.

This is low compared to 1.2 million children below the age of 15 in Africa living with HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - but "the population here is so great that the possibility of having a much bigger epidemic is huge here in Asia," O'Brien told The Associated Press.

"A lot more needs to be done in making sure that various services are available, that there is better information to young people if you want to prevent this epidemic from becoming big trouble," he said.

Progress against HIV/AIDS in Asia has been set back by a lack of leadership, O'Brien said, adding that many governments still are in denial. Many also don't have enough resources to put in HIV work," he said.

"There's also a whole range of social morass about this issue. It's essentially an issue about private behavior that needs to be discussed publicly and that is a challenge in many countries," he said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a UNICEF drive in Malaysia - part of its five-year global campaign - to boost HIV prevention and treatment among young people as well to beef up prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

Malaysian Deputy Health Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad said some 25,000 children in Malaysia are either infected with HIV or have been orphaned because of AIDS since 1985.

HIV cases among children is rooted in the "problems of HIV infection in women, intravenous drug use and male attitudes about sexual responsibility," he said. Last year, 696 women were infected with HIV in Malaysia of which 20% were pregnant mothers, he noted.

Abdul Latiff told reporters that a pilot project to supply free needles and condoms to drug users at selected cities will begin as planned in January. The ministry is also supplying methadone, a synthetic drug, to treat hardcore addicts, he added.

Earlier, Malaysian and UNICEF officials signed a pact to set up a research center on health policies in the region. Officials said the center will conduct a study on AIDS orphans in Malaysia next year.

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Edited by David Bottomley

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