U.N. unveils new AIDS policies

UNITED NATIONS, July 1 (UPI) -- U.N. officials estimate at least 29 million HIV infections could be averted by 2010 under new prevention policies approved Friday.

Meeting in Geneva, the Governing Board of the Joint U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS, known as UNAIDS, approved a paper called "Intensifying HIV Prevention." The paper calls for increasing assistance to governments, documenting best practices, and devising methods of measuring prevention trends.

"Member states recognize the crucial need for intensified HIV prevention efforts," said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot. "With 5 million new infections each year, it is only through a comprehensive and scaled-up approach that we will reverse the spread of HIV."

The intensified prevention effort comes as UNAIDS announced the risk of AIDS spreading in the Asia/Pacific region is higher than ever. The organization estimates only one in five people have access to HIV prevention services and only one in 10 have been tested for the virus.