Sri Lanka not among high HIV prevalent countries-WHO

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is not among the South-East Asian countries that have high level of HIV prevalence and successful control of the HIV epidemic, stastics of the world Health Organisation said.

The effective control of the HIV depends on knowledge, attitudes and practice of Sri Lankan adolescents and youths such as having one sexual partner.

But South-East Asia has the second highest number of HIV infected persons 7.2 million followed by Sub-Sahara Africa, Regional Office for South-East Asia, World Health Organisation (WHO) sources said.

These data were released parallel to a press field visit in Thailand and India conducted from November 24 to December 1 organised by WHO, South East Asian Regional Office.

According to sources, four countries, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand account for the majority of the estimated HIV infected. India has the highest number of infected with an estimated 5.2 million (15-49 years) persons living with HIV/AIDS.

In India HIV prevalence in some settings is 52 percent among sex workers and similar high rates are reported among injecting drug users in the North-East.

Indonesia is showing an alarming increase in HIV prevalence among injecting drug users up to 50 percent in some urban and rural areas. In Myanmar the HIV prevalence among injecting drug users and sex workers remains as high as 34 per-cent and 32 per-cent respectively.

In Thailand the HIV prevalence among injecting drug users remains at around 40 percent since the epidemic's beginning. Recent data on homosexuals in Thailand shows that the HIV prevalence among this group in urban areas is as high as 28 per cent whereas HIV prevalence among sex workers has decreased to less than six percent.

One fifth of the HIV infected people of the world live in Asia. In South-East Asia an estimated 7.2 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, two million are women and 120,000 are children. Of these, during 2006, an estimated 730,000 are newly-infected adults while 39000 are children.

About 520,000 adult deaths and 26,000 child deaths have also been reported. About 95 per cent of the total HIV infected in low and middle income countries.

HIV/AIDS epidemic accounts for the highest number of deaths by a single infectious agent in the world. Young people (15-25 years) account for half of all new HIV infections.

Worldwide, 39.5 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, 17.7 million are women and 2.3 million are children. During 2006, an estimated 3.8 million are newly-infected adults while 530,000 are newly -infected children.