ASIAN MEDICAL EXPERTS APPEAL FOR GLOBAL ATTENTION TO GROWING HIV/AIDS CRISIS

UNITED NATIONS: Asian medical experts appealed for global action to
help curb the growing HIV/AIDS crisis in their region, home to more
than 8.5 million infected people.

"The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia is often overlooked, compared to
Africa .. how many infections do we need before taking action?"
Baatar Choisuren, Mongolia's U.N. ambassador, said Wednesday.

The briefing by officials from Malaysia, India and Mongolia was
sponsored by UNAIDS, the U.N. joint program on the epidemic.

Asia has the second-highest level of HIV infection in the world after
sub-Saharan Africa, and most victims belong to marginalized social
groups which do not receive adequate support, according to Dr. Adeeba
Kamarulzaman of the Malaysian AIDS Council.

Approximately 630,000 infected people in the region died last year,
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She said the most at-risk populations -- including intravenous drug
users, sex workers, migratory laborers and men who have sex with men
- -- are not being reached by prevention, treatment and care programs.

"In Asia particularly, HIV/AIDS issues have not been openly discussed
by virtue of their nature involving sex, sexuality and drug use,"
Kamarulzaman said. "What governments need to do is not be squeamish
about these difficult areas if we are going to be effective in
reducing HIV/AIDS in the region."

A UNAIDS document distinguishes "men who have sex with men" from
homosexuals, because most "living outside the West are not
identifiable as such, they live and work in their communities
unremarked and are often heads of families with children." The
high-risk group, which also includes transgenders, has received
increasing attention by UNAIDS in recent years.

Because of the illegality of homosexual activity, prostitution and
drug use in many Asian countries, Kamarulzaman said it is difficult
to get legal support for prevention efforts.

Suresh Kumar, director of the National AIDS Control Organization in
India's health ministry, stressed the need to increase political
commitment from Asian governments.

Kumar said there was a lack of coordination between agencies to
effectively approach the problem. The nongovernmental organizations
which do exist are too weak to deliver nationwide services, and the
government offices are not committed, he said.

"Right now, it is very confused and muddled," he said. "We need to
work to sort it all out."

Kumar also discussed what he called the "unpreparedness" of U.N.
agencies to deal with the epidemic. He said the U.N. Population Fund
is mandated solely for sex work, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime
is not very strong, and there is no program yet which specifically
targets men having sex with men.

UNAIDS figures show that the epidemic in Cambodia, Thailand and
Myanmar appears to be stable or diminishing, but there are rising
levels of infection in China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

In June 2006, only about 16 percent of infected people in Asia were
receiving antiretroviral treatment, UNAIDS said.

Myanmar's U.N. Ambassador Kyaw Tint Swe was optimistic about his own
country's progress, but asked for regional cooperation.

"We need political commitment at the highest level, we need
resources, we need cooperation and we need strategic initiatives to
confront HIV/AIDS," he said.

Most of the funding for prevention and treatment programs in Asia
comes from external resources such as the Global Fund, an independent
organization in which UNAIDS participates.

The U.N. passed a landmark resolution in 2000 citing HIV/AIDS as a
threat to national security. Last June, the General Assembly adopted
a political declaration calling it a "global emergency" which
requires a "global response." The assembly will meet on May 30 for
its annual debate on the epidemic.