Malditah Musings

Observe World AIDS Day tomorrow

World AIDS Day will be observed tomorrow in the world with some 33 million people living with the virus in 2007, a report Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) showed.

In its "2008 Report on Global AIDS epidemic," UNAIDS said the rate of new infection has gone down in some countries but it is "better" trend is "partially offset" by increases in new infections in other countries.

"The total number of people living with HIV has increased as a result of the continued number of new infections per year and useful the effects of more widely available antiretroviral therapy, "UNAIDS said.

Sub-Saharan Africa is still the most heavily affected by HIV, accounting for 67 percent of all cases of HIV and for 72 percent of AIDS deaths in 2007.

Infection in most countries have begun to decline but countries such as Kenya is registered to a rise in infection from 6.7 percent in 2,003-8.5 percent in 2007.

The report, however, shows that there are "high infection levels "to" users of injecting drugs, men who have sex with men and sex workers in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

To effectively contain HIV / AIDS, UNAIDS has underscored the need to address "societal causes of HIV risk and vulnerability."

"Long-term success in responding to the epidemic requires a long development in reducing human rights violations associated with it, including gender inequality, stigma and discrimination, "the report stated.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) has registered a total of 59 new infections in October, bringing in 3515 the total number of HIV / AIDS cases recorded since January 1984.

A report prepared by the DOH National Center epidemiology showed that 13 to 59 cases of workers overseas Filipino must undergo HIV screening by their employer-country.

"Nine of (the 13 cases) were male. All cases acquired the infection through sexual contact - 10 heterosexual, one lesbian and two bisexual, "reports state.

To strengthen anti-HIV/AIDS efforts in Asia Pacific, the UNAIDS, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization was launched last Friday's first-ba-one stop "online resource hub" that will complete and easy access to HIV and AIDS data in the region.

The website, and www.aidsdatahub.org online database: www: devinfo.info / Evidencetoaction, and help HIV Statistics bringing multiple sources of data and reports, PowerPoint presentations and reviews on HIV and AIDS situation in 24 countries and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the UNAIDS records showed that 75 million Asian men "regularly buy sex" making it "key drivers" of HIV / AIDS epidemic in the Asia-Pacific.

By Amala Reddy, UNAIDS regional adviser for strategic information, the HIV epidemic in Asia is caused by unprotected paid sex, sexual contact between men and drug use rooted in shared needles.

Reddy said with 75 million people who patronize commercial sex from about 10 million Asian women and another 20 million people "who have sex with men or injecting drug user."

But Reddy said the "limiting factor" that makes the Asian epidemic of HIV from different in Africa, which account for a majority of HIV / AIDS cases worldwide, is "(Asian) women generally did not have multiple sex partners. "- Lorraine In Olivar

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For more information about Hiv aids information visit on www.aidsdatahub.org