The Papua New Guinea delegates to the United Nations sponsored Pacific HIV/aids conference in Auckland has warned other Pacific countries not to ignore the disease.
Representatives from 15 Pacific countries attended the conference and have signed a commitment to prioritise HIV/Aids issues.
It is estimated that around 80 to 100 thousand people in PNG have the virus.
PNG's Minister for Community Development, Dame Carol Kidu, says unless countries end their denial about HIV they will experience an epidemic like the one now seen in her country.
"And I can say from the PNG experience, and from my own experience in my own electorate, by the time you see HIV it's already too late - you've missed the window of opportunity to act because of the long period of time that people can be HIV positive and not know about it, not be obvious and not be ill"
