Despite some clear progress in the past decade, governments in the region have struggled to sustainably reverse and control the HIV epidemic. In 2008, the Commission on AIDS in Asia outlined elements of a dramatic new response to HIV in the region. One critical recommendation was that countries should target their prevention efforts strategically to focus on reaching 80 per cent of the key affected populations, namely sex workers, people who use drugs, transgender persons and men who have sex with men. The Commission’s recommendation was based on an acknowledgement of the reality of the shape of the epidemic in Asia.

Keywords: IGM, 2015, HIV, prevalence, sex workers, clients, IDU, MSM, stigma