A family in Mongolia pausing for a picture (Photo courtesy of mongoliaphoto.com) Mongolia will setp up action against HIV/AIDS.

"Low prevalence" does not mean HIV prevention is low priority

Low rates of HIV infection must not lead to complacency, representatives of 10 Asian and Pacific “low prevalence” countries agreed recently.
Countries where HIV is still relatively rare have a window of opportunity to avoid more serious epidemics, cost-effectively. But it is essential that they invest in targeted prevention efforts, and actively counter the stigma of HIV and the taboos that hinder addressing risky behaviours.
This was the conclusion of the First Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support in Low Prevalence Countries, held in late October in Ulaanbaatar, where experts from Governments, civil society and international organizations shared experiences and strategies for strengthening national AIDS programmes.
The Government of Mongolia organized the four-day meeting in partnership with UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and UNAIDS. Other participating countries, many of which were represented by high-level health officials, included Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
“Whether a country is low prevalence or high prevalence, the risk factors are the same, and HIV prevention efforts need to be focused to be most effective”, said J.V.R. Prasad Rao, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific.
Participants agreed that targeted HIV prevention efforts should focus on people most at risk of acquiring HIV within the countries, including sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men and young migrants.
Efforts should also be made to raise general awareness about AIDS to help break down AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Despite a few notable successes in containing the epidemic, infections continue to rise throughout Asia and the Pacific region and have reached concentrated levels in a number of countries.
Delegates attending the Conference adopted the Ulaanbaatar 2006 Call for Action, highlighting the priorities of an effective response to the epidemic. The document urges countries to improve surveillance systems. National AIDS action plans, it states, need adequate funding, ambitious but realistic targets, high-level political commitment, and the full involvement of civil society.
(Source: UNFPA press releases, 27 October)