The United Nations World Food Program has begun a food donation program to assist families in four Asian countries inflicted with the AIDS virus.

In an announcement Monday, the Rome-based agency said it will distribute food to poor families in Cambodia, China, Laos and Burma whose major breadwinner is suffering from HIV or AIDS. Officials say distributing food to poor families affected by the deadly virus will be a life-saving device.

Program officials say the food donations will combat the devastating effect that AIDS can have on a family when the primary wage earner becomes infected. They say poor families often become further impoverished when caring for someone with AIDS.

Last month, the World Food Program and three other U.N. agencies interviewed HIV patients and government officials in Cambodia, China, Laos and Burma, to put together a profile of families that would most benefit from food donations. They say the interviews revealed that food aid used to supplement medical care will guarantee nourishment for the AIDS patient and will reduce malnutrition among family members.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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