The mortality rate from HIV/AIDS has decreased significantly in Cambodia since its peak in 2003, though it is still the 16th cause of premature death in the country, according to a new study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
The research paper looked at data collected between 1990 and 2010 on the prevalence of HIV/ AIDS in Southeast Asia and found that Cambodia has managed to control the disease better than some of its regional counterparts.
“The news is mainly good for Cambodia, where HIV/AIDS mortality has decreased by 86 percent since peak mortality in 2003,” a statement accompanying the paper says.
“Although the disease is responsible for 1.5 percent of deaths and 1.6 percent of disease burden, HIV/ AIDS currently ranks as the 16th leading cause of disease burden in Cambodia,” the statement says.
According to IHME researcher Katrina Ortblad, who authored the study, disease burden refers to “premature death and years of life lost due to disability.”
The No. 1 cause of premature death and years of life lost due to disability in 2010 in Cambodia was lower respiratory infection, followed by ischemic heart disease and then stroke, the data show.
Ms. Ortblad said the efforts made to reduce the mortality rate associated with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia are “impressive,” but said more needed to be done to ensure that the decrease continues.
“Cambodia is doing better than other Southeast Asian countries—including Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia—at controlling the disease’s burden. But prevention and other effective interventions must be vigilantly maintained; complacency is not an option.”
Cambodia has managed to tackle its HIV problem with increased access to treatment, such as anti-retroviral medicines, prevention education and reductions in maternal-to-child transmission, she said.
Mey Sovannara, an advocacy officer at the Khmer HIV/AIDS NGO Alliance, said local figures show that HIV/AIDS is responsible for 0.8 percent of deaths, not 1.5 percent.
“The government has a political commitment by 2020 to get Cambodia to have zero new infections, zero HIV-related deaths and zero discrimination.”
