China and Myanmar are making slow progress to prevent the spread of AIDS, according to UN report that praised Thailand in its endeavor that resulted in successfully decreasing the number of new HIV cases.
China has made slow progress in fulfilling a 2003 pledge to provide antiretroviral treatment to all who need it, warned the AIDS Epidemic Update 2005 released in the New Delhi ahead of World AIDS day on December 1, which is an annual, global event started by United Nations in 1988.
"By June 2005, about 20,000 people were receiving the drugs in 28 provinces and autonomous regions," the report said.
The report stated that the most heavily affected areas are in Yunnan and Henan provinces in the Guangxi autonomous region and the least affect areas "for the moment" were Qinghai province and the Tibet autonomous region.
HIV cases have been found in all 31 provinces of China, the UN's annual report said, warning that the combination of commercial sex and injecting drug use "is likely to become the main driver of China's epidemic."
China has an official estimated 840,000 people infected with HIV, including 80,000 with full blown AIDS. The prevalence rate is 0.1 percent.
"In Myanmar, limited prevention efforts led HIV to spread freely -- at first within the most at-risk groups and later beyond them. Consequently, Myanmar had one of the most serious AIDS epidemics in the region," it said.
In contrast, Thailand has been quite successful in its fight against AIDS.
"By 2003 the estimated national adult HIV prevalence had dropped to its lowest level ever, approximately 1.5 percent," the report said.
Meanwhile, World Vision, Christian relief and development organization, have began their campaign called "Acting on AIDS". Using their their experience of combating the global AIDS pandemic, which has devasted an entire generation of children. With the compassionate support of individuals, churches, and organizations, World Vision is caring for orphans and children made vulnerable by the disease, preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS with education based on biblical principles, and advocating for effective programs that transform communities.
