UN reports greater access to anti-AIDS arugs

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asia is among the regions that have an increased access to antiretroviral drugs which suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression  of the pandemic disease, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said.

The fourth annual report “Towards Universal Access” said that Southeast Asia, along with East and South Asia, reached 31 percent coverage of antiretroviral treatment (ART).

This makes Southeast Asia third among those with high ART coverage, next to Latin America and the Caribbean region which have 50 percent ART and the sub-Saharan Africa which has 37 percent.

Next to Southeast Asian region are Europe and Central Asia, with 19 percent, and North Africa and the Middle East, 11 percent.

The report said at least 5.25 million people had access to antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries at the end of 2009, accounting for 36 percent of those in need.

This represents an increase of over 1.2 million people from December 2008, the largest increase in any single year, it noted.

According to WHO and UNAIDS, at least 14.6 million people were in need of anti-retroviral therapy in 2009.

In 2008, an estimated 33.4 million people were living with HIV, of whom more than 30 million were living in developing countries. –CHARISSA M. LUCI, Manila Bulletin