India may already have the highest number of HIV positive people in the world, and needs to do more to fight AIDS, an expert warned Wednesday.
Official statistics put South Africa in first place with 5.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and India somewhat behind with 5.1 million. But Richard G.A. Feachem, executive director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said they could be wrong.
"I believe that India is already in first place," Feachem said in New Delhi, the New Kerala News reported.
The Geneva-based organization is among the five largest bodies dedicated to funding the fight against AIDS.
Expressing a lack of faith in the official statistics given the shortcomings in data collection and surveillance mechanisms worldwide, Feachem said there was an informal understanding among experts that estimates for India and China were too low.
"HIV/AIDS is a ticking time bomb. The size of the epidemic will be huge unless India steps up its program. The delay is dangerous," said Feachem.
© Copyright 2004 by United Press International
