BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- About 25,000 scientists, policymakers and physicians have come together to attend the ongoing 17th International AIDS Conference in Mexico City to search for better ways to stem the spread of the disease.

    The six-day international conference, which began Sunday, is the largest regular HIV/AIDS-related meet and is organized by the International AIDS Society, the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS professionals.

    The conference was initially held every year since being launched in the U.S. city of Atlanta in 1985, but has been held biennially since 1994.

    Since the first case was confirmed in the United States in 1981,the HIV/AIDS virus has been spreading rapidly, causing worldwide concern.

    The International AIDS Conference is thus an important event, which has gained great support from participating experts, doctors and government officials.

    According to the participants, the birth and widespread of the epidemic is closely associated with some social phenomena like economic backwardness, poverty and unsafe sexual practices.

    They have urged international communities to fully recognize the seriousness of the epidemic and take active preventive measures, reinforce research and development of HIV vaccines, and boost public health education.

    Previous conferences have focused on the global spread of HIV/AIDS and its effects, progress in the prevention and control of the disease, new results of scientific research on HIV/AIDS, and research into related vaccines and medications.

    The concerted efforts of the international community have led to significant progress in controlling the disease, with the number of people with HIV/AIDS worldwide having somewhat stabilized after peaking in the 1990s.

    Since 2005, the death toll from AIDS has been on the decline, with increasing numbers of HIV carriers receiving medical treatment and the global infection rate falling by 10 percent.

    However, there are still currently some 33 million people worldwide affected with HIV/AIDS, according to United Nations figures, and only about 4 million of them have access to treatment.

    The HIV infection rate is on the rise in some countries, and financial resources to fund the drive against AIDS are often scarce.

    Completely eradicating HIV/AIDS is thus a huge task that is far from over.