Geneva - The number of HIV/AIDS patients in poor and middle income countries receiving antiretroviral therapy increased last year by 36 per cent, United Nations agencies reported Wednesday.

In total, some 4 million people in the developing and emerging world were receiving the therapy by the close of 2008. That figure includes 45 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women, who are seeking to prevent transmission to their children.

However, the World Health Organization and others said, at least 5 million people living with HIV do not have access to proper care and treatment, and prevention tools were not reaching key parts of the world, including high risk areas.

Moreover, detection was slow, leaving people infected with HIV without knowledge of their condition or treatment.

"The majority of those living with HIV remain unaware of their HIV status. Low awareness of personal risk of HIV infection and fear of stigma and discrimination account, in part, for low uptake of testing services," the UN report Towards Universal Access read.

The cost of first-line drugs has continued to drop, according to the UN agencies, but second-level medications and treatments remained restrictively expensive.

"Governments and international partners must accelerate their efforts to achieve universal access to treatment," said WHO chief Margaret Chan.

UNAIDS expects the number of people needing treatment to rise "dramatically" in the coming years. (dpa)