Geneva - Asian countries, youngsters and people spoiled by
the availability of medicines in the developed world are high-risk
communities for HIV infection in the upcoming year, experts said
ahead of World AIDS Day.
The spread of HIV in South East Asia and China 'is following
patterns of the African epidemic of the 1980s,' said Mukesh Kapilla,
the head of HIV/AIDS at the International Federation of the Red
Cross.
'The pattern is basically the same,' he told Deutsche Presse-
Agentur dpa. 'As a public health professional with forward thinking,
we must not repeat the mistakes of Africa.'
Immediate steps, in conjunction with governments, would have to
be taken to help stem the spread of the disease and offer treatment
to those already infected.
The spreading to island regions recently has shown that 'no area
is immune to the problem.'
On Monday, December 1 the United Nations will mark its 20th
annual World AIDS Day, noting that 'fewer people are being infected
with HIV and fewer people are dying from AIDS,' according to Peter
Piot, the director of UNAIDS.
Part of the reason lies with the availability of lifesaving
antiretroviral drugs, particularly the increased number of patients
receiving the cocktails in the developing world.
Even so, for every two people who start taking treatment another
five become newly infected, UNAIDS warned.
Furthermore, millions of people in need of drug treatment still
have no access to medicines, or receive them late, especially in
poor countries.
There are about 33 million people live with HIV and 2 million
died of AIDS related complications in 2007. In that year, some 2.7
million people became infected with HIV, the UN said.
About 22 million of the HIV cases are in Africa, another 1.2 in
North America and less than a million are in Western and Central
Europe.
Outside of sub-Saharan Africa the most at risk people were
intravenous narcotics users, men who have sex with men and sex
workers.
While women account for about half of all HIV infections
globally, in Sub-Saharan Africa they make up unproportionately
larger segments of the HIV infected populations.
Some experts have warned about a developing lack of concern over
taking protective steps in areas where drugs have changed HIV from a
death sentence to a somewhat manageable disease.
'There is a certain complacency where treatment is available,'
said Kapilla with the Red Cross, warning that people should never
let their guard down regarding diseases that are sexually
transmitted or transferred through the use of needles.
In another side to Western complacency, while rich donor
countries have demanded that poorer nations report on their
epidemics and responses, they have failed to do so themselves in a
satisfactory manner.
A study by AIDS Accountability International, a Swedish group,
found that some western European nations and the US were worse than
many developing ones when it came to reporting to the UN, including
on new cases.
More than half of all new HIV infections globally occur in
adolescents and young adults, mostly acquired through sexual
relations.
On the other hand, the global number of children dying from AIDS
has begun a slow decline in recent years.
For many youngsters who have access to drugs the trouble is
staying on the strict drug regimen, in part due to the lack of
family support, a World Health Organization note said.
'Strategies targeting (young people's) special needs are urgently
needed,' said Daniel Fitzgerald from Cornell medical school in New
York. He authored a study in Haiti showing that young people take
risks when it comes to HIV.
Education about the disease, letting people, especially
youngsters, know what they can do to protect themselves, along with
the ready availability of condoms were crucial to combating HIV.
Also, it remained vital to promote early detection and increase
access to medicines for those in need, the experts agreed.
USA
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