A talk on HIV/AIDS by Botswana's President Festus Mogae has left an indelible mark on Asia and the Pacific, the Botswana Daily News reported on Monday.
During an address at the recent UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) conference in Bangkok, Mogae warned the region to avoid Africa's mistakes by "bringing the HIV/AIDS pandemic under control before it was too late".
The newspaper quoted Mogae as saying: "It is very important to mount serious projects now, when the prevalence rates [in Asia and the Pacific] are low."
It is estimated that six million people are living with HIV/AIDS in South and Southeast Asia, while East Asia and the Pacific are home to 1.2 million HIV-positive people.
Mogae urged delegates to view the pandemic as more than a health problem, adding that "only a comprehensive approach will generate success".
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