The United Nations AIDS organization has called on Asian countries to work harder to slow the spread of AIDS.
Peter Piot, director of the agency UNAIDS, released new data Monday and said that without, in his words, "swift and decisive action," another 10 million Asians will be infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by 2010.
He said some seven million people in Asia currently have the virus, with one million infections occurring last year alone.
Mr. Piot commended Japan and several other nations for strong leadership in fighting the disease. But he said infections are increasing at an alarming rate in China, Vietnam, and Indonesia.