Adult Death Rates in Asia to Climb 40 Percent Due to AIDS: WHO

In a report released in Manila on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Asian countries to "aggressively implement" HIV prevention programs for drug users, including the controversial approach of providing clean needles to ensure safe injection practices. The WHO said the AIDS epidemic in virtually all of Asia is concentrated on sex workers and injecting drug users, making the region "comparatively unique."

The WHO report said that in the next few years AIDS will weigh even heavier on Asian countries, with more people stricken and dying of the disease. In areas most affected -- Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and a few states in India -- the death rates of adults will rise 40 percent, the WHO warned. India alone could see a third of a million deaths due to AIDS in 2005, the WHO forecast. For most moderately affected Asian countries, annual deaths among adults will increase by five percent in the coming decade due to AIDS, the report said.

Despite the AIDS threat, the WHO said few countries were equipped to deal with the problem with only Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore having "adequate resources to provide for both prevention and care." The report said "most countries are targeting efforts at the general public" but warned that "the only responsible public health action to take" is to focus attention on these groups who are most at risk.

Back to other CDC news for August 29, 2001

Previous Updates