Published: Nov. 26, 2008
YANGON, Myanmar, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- The international humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders says up to 25,000 may die this year of HIV/AIDS in Myanmar unless help arrives soon.
The group in London says lifesaving treatment needs to be significantly increased to avert a catastrophe in the military-ruled country, formerly known as Burma, CNN reported.
The group's study, blaming the failure of the country's junta for the current situation, said an estimated 240,000 people are thought to have HIV/AIDS in Myanmar.
The report said fewer than 20 percent of them have access to the anti-retroviral or ART drug.
The report said Doctors Without Borders is currently virtually the only provider of these lifesaving drugs.
"It is unacceptable that a single NGO is treating the vast majority of HIV patients in a crisis of this magnitude," Joe Belliveau, the group's operations manager, said in a news release.
The report said the government gave only about $200,000 for HIV/AIDS this year, one of the lowest amounts spent worldwide.
The drugs, without government or other support, typically cost about $29 a month per patient. However, most people in Myanmar live on an average of $1.20 per day.
Posted by Thawngsian Tung
Source : United Press International