Book Description

Overview: -- In 2008, an estimated 4.7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in Asia, and, in 2007, 75% people living with HIV/AIDS resided in three countries - China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, and Thailand. India alone is home to more than 45% of all people living with HIV/AIDS in the region (2,400,000 people), and is the third largest epidemic of any country in the world behind South Africa and Nigeria. -- Within the region, HIV prevalence rates vary. Rates in East Asia and South/South-East Asia (less than 0.1% and 0.3% in 2008, respectively) are lower than the global prevalence rate (0.8%), and prevalence rates in many countries across Asia have been stable in recent years. However, some countries, mostly those located in South/South-East Asia, have experienced increases in prevalence rates in recent years, including Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam. In addition, the epidemic in the Papua province of Indonesia has been of particular concern, as a 2006 population-based survey found an adult HIV prevalence rate of 2.4%. -- In 2008, there were about 350,000 new HIV infections and 330,000 deaths due to AIDS in Asia. -- HIV in Asia is spread primarily through sex, with commercial sex largely driving transmission in much of the region. Injecting drug use is a major risk factor in several Asian countries and there is growing concern about the overlap of sex work and injecting drug use as well as the transmission of HIV to the partners of those infected through commercial sex. Finally, sex between men contributes to HIV transmission, particularly in Thailand and Viet Nam. Regional data show prevalence rates among men who have sex with men (MSM) are also high in parts of Indonesia, Cambodia, and India, but more research is needed to understand the extent of its impact.