At least 5,500 HIV-positives registered in Angola are currently enjoying anti-retroviral treatment, says a report of the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on the increase of this type of treatment in the country.

According to the document available here on Sunday, the number of people receiving combined anti-retroviral treatment against HIV/ AIDS in Angola has risen significantly as well as the expansion of concerned medicines.

These data are contained in the latest report of the said institutions on the progresses and strategies in the granting of anti-retroviral drugs to three million people in developing country until 2005, as part of the fight against the pandemic.

WHO and UNAIDS recognize that despite this increment, the access to the medicines is still insufficient to cover the rising needs, and fear that the goal set might not be attained by 2005.

The report states that the number of people receiving anti- retroviral drugs has increased in all regions of the world, as well as the pace of expansion of the medicines.

In southern Africa, the most affected area in the world, the number of people taking anti-retroviral drugs has increased, with 500,000 HIV-positives currently receiving the treatment, which is three times more than in June 2004.

Source: Xinhua