HIV: evolution of a pandemic.

Although the prevalence of AIDS is still relatively low in many countries in Asia and the Pacific Rim, the rate of HIV transmission in this region continues to rise inexorably and will surpass that of sub-Saharan Africa by 1997. The challenge of mobilizing governments and communities to counter this largely invisible threat was the theme of the Third International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in September 1995. Thailand has led the way with bold and far-reaching HIV prevention programs. Nevertheless, the long-term consequences of existing HIV infection in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia will be severe. Moreover, these repercussions will be felt globally as productivity is undermined, health care costs soar and purchasing power weakens. Supporting programs for HIV prevention and care abroad is thus an urgent matter of economic and political self-interest as well as a humanitarian imperative.