An international conference on HIV/Aids has opened in Mexico City. New figures suggest the number of people in the world with the virus has dropped slightly. However, infection rates are still rising in some countries and access to the right treatment is also an issue.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, said government needs to do more to control the spread of the epidemic: “We are still facing a huge shortfall in resources. The responses to HIV and AIDS require long-term and sustained financing. As more people want a treatment and live longer, budgets will have to increase considerably over the next few decades.”

His sentiments were shared by hundreds of people who marched through the city to demand better worldwide access to anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV patients. AIDS activists say there is also a need to develop programs that specifically target groups most at risk.

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