SANTO DOMINGO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The AIDS epidemic has been brought under control in the Dominican Republic, but follow-up strategies are required, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said Wednesday.

    In its annual report, UNAIDS said the number of HIV/AIDS carriers in the country did not increase last year beyond the existing 0.8-1.2 percent of the population.

    The UNAIDS official in Santo Domingo, Ana Maria Navarro, attributed the improvement to the Dominican government's efforts of providing anti-retroviral treatment to more patients.

    Speaking at a press conference here, Navarro said the Dominican Republic has a law that recognizes the human rights of people infected with HIV/AIDS and has a strategic plan of a national response to the epidemic.

    However, "the country's efforts have been financed mainly by external sources and if these sources fail, there could be a setback and the achievements reached could be lost," she said.

    Navarro proposed adopting follow-up strategies such as the incorporation of HIV/AIDS treatment into the basic plan of family health insurance.

    "The government needs to allot a budget to pay for anti-AIDS measures and consider it part of the strategy to reduce poverty," she suggested.