Business Wire - October 15, 2003

The inaugural event was a videoconference between New York and New Delhi featuring 20 emerging leaders in India's fight against HIV/AIDS, organized in cooperation with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC). The event will be webcast starting October 15 on www.kaisernetwork.org.

India estimates some 4.5 million Indians have HIV, the second largest caseload worldwide. But according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council, India will have the most HIV cases of any nation by 2010 -- up to 25 million -- if current trends continue. A new computer simulation by Booz Allen Hamilton, which participated in the conference, finds that India's HIV growth curve could potentially be flattened by aggressive policies and creative cooperation among government, the business sector, NGOs and other key actors working together.

So far, none of the $15 billion the U.S. recently pledged to fight global AIDS is currently going to India or Asia. Participants in the conference spoke of the need to recognize the urgency of the crisis, and create innovative partnerships to fight the disease.

"The recent and urgent focus on AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean must now be brought to Asia, where there is still an opportunity to lessen the disease's impact throughout the region if local leaders act now, especially in the area of public information and education," said Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke, Chairman of the Board, Asia Society.

"I think focusing on prevention is critically important in countries such as India where the prevalence is one percent or less, even though the numbers are already high," said Dr. Allan Rosenfield, Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. "But one should not in any way ignore the care and treatment of those already infected."

The Asia Society is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. For more information, visit www.asiasociety.org.

CONTACT: The Asia Society, New York

Elaine Merguerian, 212-327-9313, elainem@asiasoc.org

SOURCE: The Asia Society
031015
BW031004

Copyright © 2003 - Business Wire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Business Wire, Permissions Desk, Business Wire, 1185 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10036; Tel: (212) 575-8822; FAX: (212) 575-1854. http://www.businesswire.com.

AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2003. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .