WORLD> Asia-Pacific
UN says 50 million women in Asia risk HIV
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-12 06:49

UNITED NATIONS: A new U.N. report estimates that 50 million women in Asia are at risk of becoming infected with the HIV virus from their husbands or long-term partners.

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The report produced by the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS and its partner organizations said the HIV epidemics in Asia vary between countries.

But it said they are fueled by unprotected paid sex, the sharing of contaminated needles by drug users, and unprotected sex among men who have sex with men.

According to Tuesday's report, at least 75 million men regularly buy sex from sex workers in Asia, and a further 20 million men have sex with other men or are injecting drug users.

The U.N. said many of these men are in steady relationships and it is estimated that 50 million women in the region are at risk of acquiring HIV from their partners.