Asia

The diversity of the AIDS epidemic is even greater in Asia than in Africa. The epidemic of AIDS in Asia appears to be of more recent origin, and many Asian countries lack accurate systems for monitoring the spread of HIV. Half of the world's population lives in Asia, so even small differences in the infection rates can mean huge increases in the absolute number of people infected.

In 2007, there were 2.4 million people living with HIV in India. Other large epidemics are present in China (700,000), Thailand (610,000) and Myanmar (240,000). The total number of people living with HIV in Asia is thought to be around 4.7 million.

HIV positive migrant workers in Mumbai, India

National adult prevalence is under 1% in all Asian countries except Thailand. However some of the countries in this region are very large and national averages may obscure serious epidemics in some smaller provinces and states. India accounts for half of Asia's HIV epidemic.

In most Asian countries the epidemic is centred among particular high-risk groups, particularly men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, sex workers and their partners. However the epidemic has already begun to spread beyond these groups into the wider population. Some Asian countries, such as Thailand, have responded rapidly to the epidemic with extensive campaigns to educate the public and prevent the spread of HIV – and have succeeded in cutting prevalence. Other very populous regions, such as China, have only recently admitted that the spread of HIV threatens their populations, and as a result their prevention work is lagging behind the spread of the virus. Unless rapid and effective action is taken in this part of the world, then the size of the epidemic to come will dwarf the many deaths that have already occurred.

The epidemic in Asia has ample room for growth. The sex trade and the use of illicit drugs are extensive, and so are migration and mobility within and across borders. The fluidity in international markets and especially the lack of economic stability in Asia has erupted into non-stop movement within countries and among countries, facilitating the spread of HIV. India, China, Thailand and Cambodia, to name only a few, have highly mobile populations within their borders, with people moving from state to state and from rural to urban areas. In China, permanent and temporary migrants may total as many as 120 million people.