Fewer than 10% of
the Asia-Pacific's estimated 8.5 million people who are
living with HIV are aware of their status, the United
Nations said Monday, calling on the region's
governments to boost access to health services.
''With so few
people aware of their status, efforts to prevent new
infections and treat those who are positive are becoming
more difficult,'' said a joint statement from the
World Health Organization, the United Nations
Children's Fund, UNICEF, and UNAIDS, the U.N.'s
coordinating body against the disease.
Lack of testing
and counseling are major obstacles in the prevention of
the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region, they said, calling on
the region's governments to boost access to health
services. The U.N. agencies released the statement at
the opening of a three-day conference of health
experts, scientists, and community activists about the
HIV/AIDS situation in that region. The meeting is
being held in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
World Health
Organization regional director Shigeru Omi said in the
statement that awareness of a person's HIV status is a
public-health and human rights imperative. It leads to
life-extending treatment, care, and support services,
and serves as evidence for prevention interventions, he
said.
There are an
estimated 64,000 children living with HIV in the region who
need treatment, but only one in five of them are receiving
it, the statement said, adding that nearly all them
are in three countries: Cambodia, India, and Thailand.
''By increasing access to early diagnosis of HIV in
infants and children, we are in a better position to improve
the quality of life for children who test positive by
providing better care, support, and treatment,'' said
Anupama Rao Singh, director of UNICEF's East Asia and
Pacific Regional Office. (AP)