September 20, 2007 Some statistics and facts in a news release about the HIV-AIDS situation in Cambodia, which was publicized by the Save the Children recently, were actually not true, the Cambodia Daily newspaper said Thursday.
The news release included two erroneous statistics, which said that the HIV-AIDS prevalence rate in Cambodia is the highest in Southeast Asia and an estimated 140,000 Cambodian children will be orphaned due to this disease by 2010, the newspaper said, adding that it also included two other incorrect facts, which said that 164,000 Cambodians are living with HIV-AIDS and an estimated 51, 000 AIDS orphans are under the age of 15.
Save the Children Australia (SCA) Country Director Nigel Tricks apologized for the incorrect figures on Tuesday, saying they came from his organization's main office in Melbourne and had not been updated.
"Cambodia is one of the world's few success stories," Tricks was quote as saying.
SCA estimates there are, in Cambodia, 65,000 people living with HIV-AIDS and 6,000 AIDS orphans are under the age of 15, he added.
According to the National AIDS Authority (NAA), the HIV-AIDS prevalence rate in Cambodia, which has been on a steady decline since 1998, is the lowest yet at 0.9 percent.
There are an estimated 67,200 people over the age of 15 living with HIV-AIDS in Cambodia and no one knows quite how many children have been orphaned as a result of the disease, NAA Secretary General Teng Kunthy said.
Source: Xinhua
