AIDS Is Spreading In India, China, And Russia. 48 Million Will Be Infected in 2010

There is a warning that the center of the AIDS disaster will be moved from Africa to Eurasia.

The recent issue of an American bi-monthly magazine, Foreign Affairs (November, December Issue) warned that the infection of AIDS, which was concentrated at Africa south of the Sahara Desert, was spreading to the Eurasian continent such as India, China, and Russia in fast pace, but those governments were not coping with it seriously.

The AIDS problem in India was newly being paid attention since the CEO of the Microsoft, Bill Gates visited India and donated 100 million dollars as an AIDS elimination fund. The CEO Gates asked for international interest through a contribution to the New York Times, “The high tech personnel in India is threatened by AIDS.”

India is the second biggest holder of AIDS patients following the South African Republic. The reason is the disorderly sexual relationships with prostitutes. However, because of the conservative cultural tradition of India, the AIDS prevention and sexual education is rarely done.

The Financial Times compared and criticized the Indian Government to the Thai Government, which was achieving result by doing an active AIDS prevention campaign such as giving out condoms, in its editorial on the 12th.

It is the same in Russia that has no clear countermeasures. Experts are predicting that 10% of the Russian population will be infected in AIDS by 2010 if this situation continues. It is same as the infection rate of Africa. In Africa, the economical growth rate is diminishing by 2~4% every year because of this infection rate. The Foreign Affairs predicted that Russia would have similar damage in 8 years.

In Russia, prison, other than disorderly sexual relationships and drug uses, is pointed out to spread AIDS. The all mixed inmates finished their time, returned home, and spread AIDS.

Although China is smaller in number of people got infected, but the growth rate is up to 20~30% a year, so it cannot be ignored. The Chinese Government has almost no countermeasure at all. The biggest threat to the rising economical strong power, the Chinese dream is AIDS. According to the US Business Association, if the growth rate of AIDS continues in these countries like this, one third of the possible economical growth rate for the following 25 years will be reduced.

The Foreign Affairs pointed out that the problem got even more serious because they did not have the management system to treat infected people or prevent additional infections in case of infection like developed countries.

Hye-Yoon Park parkhyey@donga.com