The incidence of HIV/AIDS in Asia could worsen if governments continue to ignore the fundamental rights of so-called marginalized groups such as injecting drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men and transgender people, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday warned.

“These population groups are more vulnerable to contracting HIV because they are often unable to realize their full civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. They also lack access to information and education and to the services necessary to ensure prevention and care and treatment of infection. While access to HIV services is expanding in some settings, most-at-risk population groups continue to face technical, legal and socio-cultural barriers to accessing those services, WHO said in the celebration of the world AIDS day Tuesday.

The global health body estimates that worldwide, there are 33.4 million people affected with HIV, with the Western Pacific region accounting for 1.4 million infections by the end of 2008.

Moreover, HIV/AIDS continues to plague more men making up 69 percent of HIV-infected adults in 2008. This means that men are more predominantly engaged in high-risk sexual practices like unprotected commercial sex, unprotected sex among men and unsafe use of injecting drugs.

More than 4 million patients underwent Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) by the end of 2008 which makes up 42 percent of the people in need of the therapy.

Anti-retroviral drugs do not cure the disease but merely delays the multiplication of the virus that attacks the immune system making the patient more susceptible to infections.

In the Western Pacific Region, which the Philippines belongs to, there were more than 370 new HIV cases and more than 250 AIDS deaths every day in 2008, the WHO registry said. Also, the number of AIDS deaths among adults and children also increased from 41,000 to 90,000 from 2001-2008.