AEGiS-UNAIDS: Asia Faces Africa-like AIDS Pandemic, U.N. Envoy Warns

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Asia Faces Africa-like AIDS Pandemic, U.N. Envoy Warns

United Nations Foundation Press Release - Wednesday, September 3, 2003

Asia-Pacific leaders must take urgent action to avoid an AIDS epidemic similar to that in Africa, the U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, Nafis Sadik, said yesterday before members of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

"HIV/AIDS is the most serious challenge to development that ESCAP countries have ever faced, the more serious because it has not yet shown its full power for destruction," Sadik said.

In the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to 60 percent of the world's population, 7 million infections already have been recorded, with 1 million new infections last year.

According to United Nations, China can expect 10 million cases by 2010, and in India the number of carriers is expected to skyrocket from 4 million to between 20 million and 25 million by 2010 (Agence France-Presse, Sept. 2).

030903
UN030902

Copyright © 2003 - Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). All rights reserved. UNAIDS articles, which are not formal publications of UNAIDS, may be freely reviewed, quoted, reproduced or translated, in part or in full, provided the source is acknowledged. The documents may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre).

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 Always watch for outdated information.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. .