WHO Warns Asia of Wider HIV/AIDS Epidemic

A rise in sexually transmitted diseases, particularly among young adults, could widen an HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Asia-Pacific region, the World Health Organization warned today. High-risk behavior is on the rise and there are more STDs, notably in Mongolia, the Philippines and Pacific island countries, WHO's Western Pacific office said in a statement. Surveys in China, Malaysia and Vietnam report an increase in the percentage of IV drug users selling sex, and evidence suggests this is spreading HIV in the wider community, it added. At its annual conference in Manila, WHO's regional committee for the Western Pacific urged greater efforts to promote condom use, needle exchange programs, and expanded drug treatment for IV drug users. It also called for more effective partnerships among WHO, governments and other agencies to battle HIV/AIDS. An estimated 1.2 million people in the Western Pacific have HIV, and there are 55,000 new AIDS cases each year -- a number projected to reach at least 120,000 by 2005, according to WHO.

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