PNG tops STDs cases in Asia-Pacific region
Linda Sataro; 22/5/08
Papua New Guinea has the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the Asia Pacific region, acting director of National AIDS Council Secretariat Romanus Pakure has said. He said PNG also has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the Pacific region. The country used to be the fourth in the Asia Pacific after Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar. PNG’s generalised HIV/AIDS epidemic prevalence rate is 1%. Mr Pakure said this to participants of the Pacific Countries Ports Association (PCPA), who came from different Pacific island Sates, including Australia and New Zealand to attend the PCPA annual conference held in Port Moresby. He said in the Pacific region there are 1.3 million reported cases of people infected with the HIV virus.