Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 5, 2001
Leaders of the 10-nation Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), in Brunei for their annual summit, issued a declaration vowing to spend more on health services and improve access to affordable drugs for people with AIDS. "The declaration...rightly attaches high priority to prevention as the mainstay response to HIV infection," Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the summit.
He said Thailand, with nearly one million people infected by the epidemic since 1984, is one of the Asian countries hardest hit. Around 289,000 Thais have died, he said.
ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo Severino said leaders have also approved a four-year programme to combat the spread of AIDS in a region of more than half a billion people.
The programme includes initiating and beefing up condom promotion and making available condoms of better quality.
The plan will target groups such as sailors and truck drivers who are among those most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
Malaysian AIDS Council chief Marina Mahathir said it would be more effective for ASEAN governments to unite over the issue of drug prices.
"The drug companies will have to take notice of about 500 million people in the ASEAN countries," said Mahathir, who is the daughter of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
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