KOBE, Japan, July 1 (Xinhuanet) -- With the theme of "Bridging Science and Community", the seventh International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) opened on Friday in west Japan port city Kobe, focusing on prevention of AIDS and understanding of the patients.

    More than 3,000 participants from over 60 countries and regions will attend a series of seminars, exhibitions and workshops on HIV/AIDS-related issues during the five-day conference.

    The conference, encouraging a greater involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS and other affected communities, is jointly organized by AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP) and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as well as Japanese Society for AIDS Research and Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention.

    Dennis Altman, ASAP president, said at the opening ceremony that the 7th ICAAP will present the most recent achievements in science and community work and will encompass efforts and activities related to prevention, care and treatment at all levels.

    Even though science has made great strides in physiological understanding of HIV infection and AIDS patients, it is essential that a bridge is built to all affected communities so that they have access to and can participate in the development of prevention, treatment and care strategies, he said.

    Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director said that major issues still remain to be addressed in the sector of AIDS treatment even with the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy and improvement of quality of life,

    Discrimination and prejudice against people living with HIV/AIDS, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, drug users and sex workers still prevail, and knowledge and information for prevention of transmitting or acquiring HIV is more necessary than ever, he said, urging countries in Asia and the Pacific to fight against fast spread of AIDS in the region.

    "Our efforts must consciously focus on mobilizing top political leaders in each country because it is essential that the AIDS response be led by the highest political levels of the state -- there is simply no alternative to this," he said.

    According to estimates by the UN agency, there were 39.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide at the end of 2004, hitting record-high levels.

    Deaths from AIDS amounted to 3.1 million and the number of new HIV infections reached 4.9 million across the world last year.

    Asia had 8.2 million HIV-positive patients, up 1 million from the previous estimates at the end of 2002, due to surges in the number of those living with the disease in such areas as China, Vietnam and India, the estimates showed.

    In Japan, there were more than 1,000 new HIV infections in 2004,the largest-ever increase in a year, and the cumulative number of HIV-positive people surpassed 10,000.

    Hiroshi Hasegawa, an HIV-positive and a key participant in the Kobe gathering, stressed the significance of the event at a Tokyo press conference held June 16 before the start of the AIDS meeting,saying patients can jointly consider ways to remove social stigma and tackle discrimination against them.

    He said the social stigma is so strong in Japan that people refrain from being tested and often do not realize their infections until they actually develop AIDS symptoms.

    Organizers of the 7th ICAAP conference say the timing of the gathering is significant as it precedes the Group of Eight summit in Scotland from next Wednesday and the UN summit to review its Millennium Development Goals in September.

    Both the G-8 and UN summits are expected to discuss the HIV/AIDS issues. The UN millennium goals involve combating the disease.

    The 7th ICAAP Kobe conference was originally scheduled to be held in 2003, but was put off due to the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia that year. Enditem