AIDS in Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and at present, has one of the highest rates of AIDS infections in Southeast Asia.

National HIV prevalence rate among adults (ages 15 to 49): 1.6 percent¹
Adults and children (ages 0-49) living with HIV at the end of 2005: 130,000¹
AIDS deaths (adults and children) in 2005: 16,000¹
AIDS orphans at the end of 2005: not available¹

Taken from U.S. President's Plan for AIDS Relief

There is a lot of information regarding the AIDS epidemic in Cambodia, but not many people from the country blog about the disease in their country.

AIDS is still seen as a stigma in the country and this video helps to explain that:

The country's sex trade drives the spread of AIDS in Cambodia and it now rivals Thailand as a leading destination for sex tourism. Prostitution is illegal in the country but is tolerated and often public officials are involved.

According to March Reuters report HIV cases in Southeast Asia could increase as much as 150 percent by the year 2020.

Nearly 5 million people are infected with HIV in Asia now, with 440,000 dying annually, the report said. The annual death toll will rise to almost 500,000 by 2020 without a scaled-up response, according to the report, entitled "Redefining AIDS in Asia - Crafting an Effective Response."

AIDS is the most likely cause of death and work days lost among 15-to-44-year-olds in Asia, according to the commission, which worked on the report for 18 months. Asia ranks second regionally in HIV cases behind Sub-Saharan Africa, which has an estimated 22.5 million people living with HIV.