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HIV rises in China, India
November 28, 2004
The massive populations of China and India are sitting on potential HIV
timebombs.
While Africa is still acknowledged as the world's HIV/AIDS crisis zone, Asia is
gaining ground, recording the steepest rises in HIV infection over the last two
years.
The Australian government is taking the threat seriously, boosting its
commitment to the regional fight against HIV/AIDS by $350 million, taking
funding for a six-year program to combat the disease to $600 million.
As the globe gears up for World AIDS Day on Wednesday, the United States is
warning of the importance of remembering the HIV/AIDS problem extends beyond
Africa.
Randall Tobias, the US government's global AIDS coordinator, said India and
China were on the verge of an explosion in HIV infections.
"It's very important that the world's attention not be directed solely at
Africa, where the problem has been so great, but also directed to Asia and the
rest of the world," he said.
"Many experts in the field believe India and China (are) among two of the
countries in the world that are on the verge of explosive expansions (in
infections)."
With populations in excess of one billion in both China and India, even
relatively low infection rates could result in large numbers of people with the
disease.
Mr Tobias said India had an infection rate of 0.8 per cent, which totalled
about five million HIV infections. By comparison, the worst HIV infection rate
in the world was in South Africa, but with its smaller population, it also had
around about five million infections.
A report this week from the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS backs warnings
about the growing threat of HIV/AIDS in Asia.
"The populations of many Asian nations are so large that even low national HIV
prevalence means large numbers of people are living with HIV," the report said.
The report noted the spread of HIV to all of China's 31 provinces, with
infections primarily occurring in injecting drug users and to a lesser extent
sex workers and their clients.
Strategies to prevent the disease in China were insufficient, for example few
Chinese brothels kept condoms on their premises.
"China can still shape the course of its epidemic but it needs to move swiftly
and with great resolve," the report said.
Paid sex and injecting drug use were behaviours aiding the spread of HIV
through India, as well as a significant level of bisexuality throughout the
country.
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