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Reuters-Yangon says West exaggerati

Subject: Reuters-Yangon says West exaggerating Myanmar AIDS problem 

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Yangon says West exaggerating Myanmar AIDS problem=20
07:34 a.m. Dec 02, 1999 Eastern=20
YANGON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Military-ruled Myanmar, described by U.N. =
experts as being in denial about a serious AIDS epidemic, has said it =
can control the disease and accused Western countries of exaggerating =
the extent of its problem.=20

``Some Western countries are making baseless exaggerations concerning =
the AIDS problems in Myanmar,'' the official Myanma News Agency (MNA) =
quoted the health minister, Major-General Ket Sein, as saying at a World =
AIDS Day ceremony on Wednesday.=20

``Necessary control measures were carried out as projected basing on the =
reports and constant studies. Thus, the nation can manage to control the =
dreadful disease with a certain success,'' he said.=20

Ket Sein said the national anti-AIDS effort focused on disseminating =
knowledge about the disease but he gave no figures on the extent of AIDS =
and its precursor, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).=20

The government has said in the past that fewer than 25,000 patients have =
tested HIV positive in the last 10 years.=20

World Health Organisation experts estimate the actual number is several =
times higher and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that in =
1997, 15,000 children in the country were orphaned by the disease.=20

Neighbouring Thailand, where many Myanmar citizens work in the sex =
industry, is estimated to have more than one million people who are HIV =
positive.=20

According to official Myanmar data released earlier this year, tests in =
September 1998 indicated 0.7 per cent of blood donors in Yangon and 0.97 =
per cent in the northern city of Mandalay were HIV positive.=20

UNICEF estimated last year that one to 2.4 percent of the adults among =
Myanmar's 47 million population were HIV positive, which it described as =
a ``very high'' rate.=20

U.N. agencies say Myanmar, along with Cambodia and Thailand, have the =
highest rates of HIV infection in the region, but only Thailand has =
implemented effective programmes.=20

U.N. officials have said Myanmar appeared to be in denial about the =
disease and could face an epidemic of Africa-like proportions unless =
effective programmes were implemented.=20





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<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT color=3D#800000><FONT =
size=3D+1><STRONG>Yangon=20
says West exaggerating Myanmar AIDS problem</STRONG></FONT> =
<BR></FONT>07:34=20
a.m. Dec 02, 1999 Eastern=20
<P>YANGON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Military-ruled Myanmar, described by U.N. =
experts=20
as being in denial about a serious AIDS epidemic, has said it can =
control the=20
disease and accused Western countries of exaggerating the extent of its =
problem.=20

<P>``Some Western countries are making baseless exaggerations concerning =
the=20
AIDS problems in Myanmar,'' the official Myanma News Agency (MNA) quoted =
the=20
health minister, Major-General Ket Sein, as saying at a World AIDS Day =
ceremony=20
on Wednesday.=20
<P>``Necessary control measures were carried out as projected basing on =
the=20
reports and constant studies. Thus, the nation can manage to control the =

dreadful disease with a certain success,'' he said.=20
<P>Ket Sein said the national anti-AIDS effort focused on disseminating=20
knowledge about the disease but he gave no figures on the extent of AIDS =
and its=20
precursor, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).=20
<P>The government has said in the past that fewer than 25,000 patients =
have=20
tested HIV positive in the last 10 years.=20
<P>World Health Organisation experts estimate the actual number is =
several times=20
higher and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) has estimated that in 1997, =
15,000=20
children in the country were orphaned by the disease.=20
<P>Neighbouring Thailand, where many Myanmar citizens work in the sex =
industry,=20
is estimated to have more than one million people who are HIV positive.=20
<P>According to official Myanmar data released earlier this year, tests =
in=20
September 1998 indicated 0.7 per cent of blood donors in Yangon and 0.97 =
per=20
cent in the northern city of Mandalay were HIV positive.=20
<P>UNICEF estimated last year that one to 2.4 percent of the adults =
among=20
Myanmar's 47 million population were HIV positive, which it described as =
a=20
``very high'' rate.=20
<P>U.N. agencies say Myanmar, along with Cambodia and Thailand, have the =
highest=20
rates of HIV infection in the region, but only Thailand has implemented=20
effective programmes.=20
<P>U.N. officials have said Myanmar appeared to be in denial about the =
disease=20
and could face an epidemic of Africa-like proportions unless effective=20
programmes were implemented.=20
<P><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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