Distinguished guests, dear colleagues and friends,
Good morning! I am pleased to attend this important event just a few days before World AIDS Day.
As you know, the number of people living with HIV worldwide continued to grow in 2008, reaching an estimated 33.4 million according to the 2009 AIDS Epidemic Update. There are more people living with HIV than ever before as people are living longer due to the beneficial effects of antiretroviral therapy and population growth. However the number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by over 10% over the past five years as more people gained to access to life saving treatment.
Asia, home to 60% of the world's population, is second only to sub-Saharan Africa in terms of people living with HIV. In 2008, there were an estimated 4.7 million people living with HIV in Asia. An estimated 330,000 people died of AIDS related illnesses. While the annual number of deaths in South and South-East Asia in 2008 was approximately 12 % lower than the mortality peak in 2004, the rate of HIV-related mortality in East Asia continues to increase.
Asia's epidemic has long been concentrated in specific populations, namely sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users. However, it is steadily expanding into lower-risk populations through transmission to the sexual partners of people most at risk. China is facing the same challenges.
One of the significant findings of the global report is that the impact of the AIDS response is high where HIV prevention and treatment interventions are integrated with other health and social welfare services. The theme of today's event is Universal Access and Infection Control in Health Settings. It is very important to prevent the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis B and C viruses and to protect the rights not only of health staff, but also of the patients in hospitals. I congratulate Beijing Ditan Hospital's WHO Collaborating Centre for developing the hospital's infection control tool.
I am informed that the Infectious Disease Department of the Beijing Ditan Hospital, together with the Home
of the Red Ribbon, constitutes the WHO Collaborating Centre for Comprehensive Management of HIV Treatment and Care. The centre was opened on April 7 this year during the World Health Day global launch hosted by Beijing Ditan Hospital. WHO is looking forward to the centre's convening roles on capacity-building, involvement of civil society and people living with HIV in comprehensive HIV treatment, care and support. In turn we stand ready to advocate and support the role of this centre in addressing and contributing to the HIV/AIDS national response.
The goal of WHO, in cooperation with member states, is to help everyone to attain the highest possible level of health. This year's World AIDS Day theme is Universal Access to HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support, and Human Rights. The right to not be exposed to harmful infection is part of the right to health for both health workers and patients.
Let us work together to achieve this.
Thank you.