HIV A third of the 30,000 adults infected with HIV in the UK are thought to be unaware of their condition. Experts tackling Asian AIDS explosion Asia's largest AIDS conference opens today as research shows that the disease is spreading faster there than anywhere else in the world. HIV expert warns of bloating side effect Scientists are baffled by a worrying side effect of HIV possibly associated with long-term use of drugs to control the condition. The government should adopt a national Aids strategy which deals with the specificf needs of women with HIV, according to the first UK-wide conference of women with the virus. The Asian economic crisis helped spread HIV in Indonesia, but may have helped curb it in Thailand, according to a leading economist.
Aids is one of the world's most deadly contagious diseases.
BBC News Online looks at its impact, both socially and medically. A programme which aims to produce a vaccine for HIV and AIDS has been boosted by a 14m contribution from the UK Government. An inquiry has begun in Ireland into how haemophiliacs contracted HIV and hepatitis C from infected blood products. The parents of a baby girl at the centre of a court wrangle have failed to bring her in for an HIV test. The UK is not doing enough to address the worrying spectre of a rise in new strains of HIV which are resistant to treatment, says an expert.