HIV in Asia and the Pacific

HIV in Asia and the Pacific

In 1999, 20% of the 5.6 million new HIV infections worldwide occurred in southern Asia. HIV began to spread in Asia in the early to mid-1980s. With a population of nearly 3.5 billion—60% of the world's population—this region can have a substantial impact on the course of the AIDS epidemic:

• Nearly one-half million of the more than 1 billion people in China are infected with HIV; most new cases occur in injectable drug users who share needles.
• India has more people infected with HIV than any other country in the world; 3.7 million Indians have HIV or AIDS.
• HIV was first reported in Thailand in the mid-1980s and cases have increased dramatically to 800,000 in 1999; prevention programs have stabilized its prevalence.
• In Malaysia, HIV transmission appears to have stabilized since it reached its peak in the 1990s; 15% to 20% of all injectable drug users are infected with HIV.
• In Vietnam, transmission is increasing, especially among injectable drug users and sex workers; the prevalence of HIV among injectable drug users has risen from less than 1% in 1995 to nearly 70% in 1998.
• In Bangladesh, transmission is increasing among injectable drug users and sex workers.
• The highest rate of HIV infection in Asia is in Cambodia, where the primary mode of transmission is heterosexual contact.