The
AIDS Advance |
INDIA |
THAILAND |
AIDS
is on the march. Around 6.5 million Asians were HIV-positive at
the end of last year, with more than 3.1 million already dead of
AIDS. The U.N. puts the annual infection rate at about 120,000 --
a figure it admits is probably underestimated. Ranked by the number
of people carrying the virus, here's how Asian countries fare:
|
Has
the world's highest number of infections. One in 50 pregnant women
in urban areas tests positive, while epidemic levels are reported
among northern drug users. Infected 3,700,000
No. of orphans: 557,570 Deaths in 1999:
310,000 |
The
Crisis dented government programs on education and prevention. Infection
rates that leveled off are now rising. Overall life expectancy has
dropped by two years.
Infected 755,000
No. of orphans: 75,000 Deaths in 1999:
66,000 |
MYANMAR |
CHINA |
CAMBODIA |
Serious
levels of infection -- some say higher than Thailand's. An outpouring
of migrant labor to Thailand, China and Bangladesh spreads the scourge.
Infected 530,000
No. of orphans: 43,000
Deaths in 1999: 48,000 |
Needle-sharing
causes most new infections, though there is concern about 4 million
sex workers. An increasingly mobile population is expected to boost
the count.
Infected 500,000
No. of orphans: 4,500 Deaths in 1999:
17,000 |
Has
Asia's highest levels of HIVinfection, which is well established
in all provinces. Private and public sectors have responded well,
but much more needs to be done.
Infected 220,000
No. of orphans: 13,000 Deaths in 1999:
14,000 |
VIETNAM |
PAKISTAN |
INDONESIA |
The
government is trying, but is ill-prepared for an epidemic among
drugs-users in the north. Infections among sex workers increased
five-fold in four years to 1998.
Infected 100,000
No. of orphans: 3,200
Deaths in 1999: 2,500 |
AIDS
education is high among sex workers, but the country's 4 million
drug addicts are not as well informed. Cheap heroin streams across
the Afghan border.
Infected 74,000
No. of orphans: 7,900 Deaths in 1999:
6,500 |
Drug
use has boomed in the past two years, but few intervention programs
are in place. By the end of 2001, about 1 million injectors could
be infected.
Infected 52,000
No. of orphans: 2,000 Deaths in 1999:
3,100 |
MALAYSIA |
PHILIPPINES |
BANGLADESH |
Infection
rates are spreading slowly. Most new sufferers come from the ranks
of drug users in the north and men who visit sex workers across
the Thai border.
Infected 49,000
No. of orphans: 680
Deaths in 1999: 1,900 |
The
HIV infection rate remains relatively low for a country with a burgeoning
sex industry. Most cases reported to authorities have been sexually
transmitted. Infected 28,000
No. of orphans: 1,500 Deaths in 1999:
1,200 |
Half
of all sex workers are infected with syphilis, meaning condoms aren't
being used. About 25,000 drug-takers regularly share needles. Observers
fear an epidemic.
Infected 13,000
No. of orphans: 610 Deaths in 1999:
1,000 |
JAPAN |
SRILANKA |
SINGAPORE |
Immigrant
sex workers buck the country's low infection rate. But the country
has the poorest public awareness of HIV and AIDS among industrialized
nations.
Infected 10,000
No. of orphans: N/A
Deaths in 1999: 150 |
Infection
rates are low, though cases are turning up even in the war-torn
north. At present, AIDS is a four-letter word that is not discussed
in many schools.
Infected 7,500
No. of orphans: 600 Deaths in 1999:
490 |
Due
to social stigma, victims usually go overseas for treatment. The
sex industry is blamed for most cases. Prevention campaigns focus
on monogamy and fidelity.
Infected 4,000
No. of orphans: 120 Deaths in 1999:
210 |
SOUTH
KOREA |
HONGKONG |
LAOS |
More
than 90% of the small number of HIV cases have resulted from sexual
transmission. Reality check:13% of infections have occurred among
females.
Infected 3,800
No. of orphans: less than 100
Deaths in 1999: 180 |
A
low count so far, but increasing cross-border traffic into southern
China, which has epidemic levels of the virus, is beginning to cause
official concern. Infected 2,500
No. of orphans: N/A Deaths in 1999:
16 |
A
culture that discourages promiscuity and drug use helps maintain
the lowest HIV rate in the region. Migrant labor and new road links
with neighbors are major worries.
Infected 1,400
No. of orphans: 280 Deaths in 1999:
130 |