The Public Health Ministry has prepared three cocktails of anti-Aids drugs for 50,000 people with HIV/Aids whose immunity falls below certain levels. Most people who meet the criteria would get GPOVIR, a cocktail drug which combines three anti-retroviral drugs - D4T, 3TC and Nevirapine.
The parents of three HIV/Aids victims who allegedly contracted the virus at state hospitals have called for the Rights and Liberty Protection Department to help push their compensation demands. Fourteen-year-old Sirinya Srisuk and 6-year-old Monsicha Rungkan died of the disease last year, while Napat Songsakulchai, als
A new democratic movement where political leaders take into consideration the voices of their communities is necessary in order to win the war against HIV/Aids, said Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The government and communities they serve must be on the same side, the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner said during a panel discuss
The Public Health Ministry is willing to compensate families of three children with HIV if an inquiry finds the infections were the result of a medical error. Dr Vallop Thaineua, permanent secretary for public health, said staff were looking into claims by three families that their children picked up the deadly virus w
Toddlers suffering from HIV/Aids at the Phayathai Home for babies are in dire need of anti-Aids drugs. The 55 infected toddlers there have no access to the pills they need because the drugs are so expensive, said Nonthinee Phetpaisit, head of the Bangkok-based state orphanage for abandoned children. There was also a sh
Three million people with HIV/Aids in developing countries will be provided with anti-retroviral treatment by the year 2005 under a plan launched yesterday by the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS . The number, referred to as the 3 by 5 target, is half of the total number of people in immediate need of treatment.
The good intentions of the Ministry of Public Health are not in question. But its proposal to install condom machines at all universities to provide students with easy and convenient access to protection whenever they feel like casual safe sex with their boy or girlfriends is a bit too much to swallow. A large number o
Cheewin Roongkan, Prapai Srisook and Wisuth Songsakulchai live in different parts of the country. But their fates became intertwined after their children were infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids, allegedly while being treated at state hospitals. The families yesterday teamed up to call on the Public Health Mi
A majority of 350 male high-school students surveyed in Kalasin province claimed to have engaged in sexual intercourse for the first time at the age of 14, with only 4% admitting they had visited prostitutes. Public health spokesperson Nittaya Chanruang Mahapol said yesterday 49% of the 17-year-old boys surveyed had se
Thailand s Phase III trial of AidsVax, a prevention vaccine, has failed to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids, US manufacturer Vax Gen Incorporation has reported. The study was conducted among 2,546 injecting drug users visiting the city administration s rehabilitation clinics between 1999-2003. The failure of this single
Following the government s announcement it would distribute anti-retrovirals to some 50,000 HIV/Aids patients, doctors have warned taking such treatments without checking the potential for adverse reactions could prove fatal in some. Aside from considering the health of HIV/Aids sufferers immune systems, the patient s
In an attempt to make anti-retroviral drugs available to most HIV/Aids victims, private businesses have been urged to provide the Public Health Ministry with voluntary information on their employees. It is estimated that there are at least 670,000 carriers of the virus in the country, but less than 4% have access to an
A royal-sponsored children s hospital is ready to welcome United States first lady Laura Bush, who will visit the hospital s joint Thai-US anti-Aids project. The US embassy has yet to notify the exact time of the visit. The atmosphere at Maha Rajini National Child Health Institute was lively yesterday with many US emba
The management of the Global Fund on Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has resolved to consider extending financial support to all developing countries regardless of their political leanings. Vice chairman of the fund, deputy health permanent secretary Suvit Wibulpolprasert, said the resolution guaranteed fair play for co
Cabinet has approved a Government Pharmaceutical Organisation proposal for a new factory supervised by World Health Organisation experts to make anti-HIV/Aids drugs. Under the global fund on Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, Thailand has to buy anti-HIV/Aids drugs from WHO-accredited companies after 2005.
Thailand says it is against major donors including the US blocking nations with political difficulties from getting financial support from the Global Fund on Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said a senior health official. Deputy health permanent secretary Suvit Wibulpolprasert, also vice-chairman of the global fund s
The UN secretary-general s special envoy on HIV/Aids in the Asia-Pacific region has raised concern over the rise in infection rates among gay men and addicts who inject drugs. Nafis Sadik said the infection rate among injecting drug users had risen 25%, from 40% to 50%, since the disease was discovered in 1984. Researc
The much anticipated financial support to Thailand from the US$10-billion global fund on Aids, tuberculosis and malaria may shrink due to lack of commitment from donor countries. The fund is running short of $3 billion, with rich countries, particularly the United States ,
University students were misusing emergency contraceptive pills because they lacked information, according to research. Little evaluation had been made of the effectiveness of contraceptive pills and possible adverse health effects, the report found. The survey conducted among university students in Bangkok showed that
The government will present its achievements in improving hospital care and community development for HIV/Aids patients when it hosts a meeting of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria next week in Chiang Mai. To be attended by health ministers from both recipient and donor nations, including the
Had it not been for Dr Cynthia Maung, countless displaced villagers and immigrant workers from Burma would have died over the years from a lack of medical care. This humanitarian effort has won the doctor several international accolades, the latest of which was the Magsaysay Award, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Pea
Many women, including Thais, do not have control over their own reproductive health and are victimised by the gender-biased interventions to control diseases like HIV/Aids, an international conference on sexual health was told yesterday. Calling for HIV/Aids testing for couples, Susan Paxton of Australia-based Asia Pac
A Miss Condom Asia-Pacific contest will be held Thursday night to promote public awareness on condom use - but no one appears interested in taking part. Organised by the the Population and Community Development Association, contestants will be voluntarily recruited from participants attending the ongoing Asia-Pacific C
The Public Health Ministry has begun a programme to provide free treatment, including medicines, to an initial group of 50,000 people infected with Aids. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said the one-billion-baht programme would also cover infants born with Aids. All 600,000 Aids victims in
The government will give one million condoms and anti-Aids drugs to Rangoon to fight the disease, Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday. The distribution of condoms and the locally-made GPO-Vir anti-retroviral cocktail, worth one million baht, was part of an agreement signed by Mrs Sudarat and her counterpa
Visitors to Wat Phra Baat Namphu are likely to become speechless on entering the temple, which has created sculptures from the bones of Aids victims and built a museum housing 12 bodies of those who died of the virus. The temple has turned into a hospice in Lop Buri, with the display of over 20 sculptures created out o
About 20% of private companies violate human rights by conducting HIV/Aids tests without seeking prior consent, the Thailand Business Coalition on Aids (TBCA) has warned. In addition to running regular checks on employees, many firms were also testing job applicants, TBCA executive director Anthony Pramualratana said a
Around 600 farmers, labour and Aids activists will rally in Bangkok on Sunday to mark the closing day of the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico . Farmer groups and labour unions will meet at the Port Authority of Thailand to show support for our counterparts in Cancun, said Janya Yimpra
More women are being trafficked from Chiang Rai and Nakhon Ratchasima to Europe and Japan than from any other province, says the Social Development and Welfare Department. Speaking at a seminar for volunteer workers, Social Development and Welfare director-general Wallop Ploytabtim said research conducted by anti-traff
An Aids vaccine being tested abroad will be brought in next month for trial use in Chon Buri and Rayong provinces starting from October, if the project wins approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Diseases Control Department chief Charan Tinwuthipongse said operators of the Phase 3 Aids vaccine testing project
Billions of condoms are needed to stop Aids escalating in Asia, the World Health Organisation has said. Based on documents prepared for a meeting today in Laos , the WHO said 6-9 billion condoms were distributed a year, well short of demand of 24 billion condoms a year. In China
How can one take a one-baht coin and double its value, in the name of making a contribution to society? After all, beggars frown at one-baht coins; children ignore them, if not throw them away. For one baht, one could not even buy a piece of candy. Yet, don t underestimate its value. Those who donate to Help Me and the
Mae Hong Son has been picked by the National Economic and Social Development Board as a pilot province for the United Nations-initiated anti-poverty plan. The think tank is collaborating with the UN Development Programme to adapt the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into the Thai context to combat poverty. The UNDP
Hom s husband left her, not knowing that she was pregnant. Her employer fired her after hearing about the pregnancy. Hom thought about an abortion, but she couldn t afford the 4,000-baht fee. As her tummy has grown, so have her worries. How can I take care of my child with no money, no work, nowhere to live? she said,
Ee, 51, walked confidently into a temple in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon, where she can get medical services from a mobile clinic, free of charge and free from fear. Here, migrant workers are not asked whether they have registration cards. They need only to give their names and their symptoms before being diagnosed and given
We have heard about it, the brutality against women in time of war - torture, rape, forced labour. Still, it is shocking to read through the report conducted by an independent team of experts for the United Nations. Wombs punctured with guns. Women raped and tortured in front of their husbands and children. Rifles forc
More than one million Thais suffer from mental illness and on average 14 a day commit suicide, mainly due to depression, alcoholism and having Aids. This emerged when Deputy Public Health Minister Pol Gen Pracha Promnok yesterday opened the Suicide Prevention Fair, held at a Sukhumvit hotel by the Public Health Ministr
The United Nations issued a shocking yet timely reminder last week on the subject of Aids. Despite great advances in health-care, nutrition and other important areas, the life expectancy of the average Thai has dropped in the past 10 years. Five years ago, Thais lived an average of 70.3 years, while today they live 68.
The story of relatives dealing with Aids is sad and familiar. Elderly carers are neglected, and children with Aids suffer discrimination at school. Parents die of the disease, orphaning their children. Sometimes children catch the disease from their parents. Parents and carers shared their experiences at a national Aid
How can anyone be called homeless ? Every human being must have a home of some sort. We must be born into some house, musn t we? a young homeless man mused over his fate. Why do people leave the comfort of their home for a precarious life in the streets? It is often believed that the emergence of homeless people is a
President George W Bush s five-day, five-country tour of Africa has had political observers wondering: Is this just another photo-op, crafted to show that the president is not just a bring them on unilateralist gun-slinger but a compassionate conservative ? Or does he intend, for whatever political reasons, to actually
New Delhi - An HIV-positive woman was stoned to death by her neighbours in a village in South India s Andhra Pradesh state known for its hi-tech image the world over. The attack took place on July 4 in Kuppam, the home constituency of state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. Ponnamma, 30, had lost her husband who was
Health experts wrapped up the national Aids meeting yesterday with a warning that the government could not afford to let down its guard against the Aids threat and urged that no effort be spared to slow down the spread of the disease. The belief that we are successful in controlling the spread of Aids means we are stil
Aids is wearing away the kingdom s human capital, and has slightly pushed down this year s human development index (HDI) released yesterday by the United Nations. The UN Development Programme ranked Thailand at 74 in the world this year, four less than a year ago despite impressive performances in education and economi
Senator Mechai Viravaidya wants the prime minister to play a leading role in reinvigorating the country s anti-Aids campaign. His remark followed reports that more Thai people aged 15-29 were getting infected with the HIV virus through unsafe sex and the percentage of condom use among this age group was under 30%.
The government s war on drugs has made users more vulnerable to HIV/Aids infection by escaping police arrest and forced rehabilitation, a study revealed yesterday. The study, conducted by Chiang Mai University s Research Institute for Health Science, the Public Health Ministry and John Hopkins University, showed that 3
The Public Health Ministry will step up a campaign to promote the use of condoms among young adults. The promotion was planned after the ministry found that the greatest number of new HIV infections each year occur among young people. Charal Trinvuthiphong, director-general of the Diseases Control Department, said the
Aidsvax manufacturer VaxGen Incorporated yesterday denied it was withdrawing financial support for a Thai vaccine trial involving 2,500 volunteers. VaxGen has not withdrawn financial support required to complete the trial. VaxGen remains committed to completing its Phase III trial in
The Public Health Ministry yesterday insisted on proceeding with its HIV/Aids vaccine trial, which also involves the use of VaxGen Incorporated s product, despite the firm s withdrawal from another trial due to financial constraints. Charal Trinvuthiphong, head of the Diseases Control Department, said the project would
The principal investigator for Thailand s Aids vaccine trial, which was supposed to conclude at the end of this year, said yesterday that VaxGen had withdrawn the financial support required to complete the trial. Dr Kachit Choopanya, who heads the Aidsvax vaccine trial on 2,500 former drug users in Bangkok, said he had
The four sexy women known as bond will be in the city once more. This time the British quartet will not only charm the audience with their modified classical tunes in Bangkok, but in Phuket, too. In a marvellous gesture of humanity, good will and charity, Haylie, Eos, Tania and Gay-Yee will perform in the Laguna Phuket
DRUG REHABILITATION: The monks at a temple in Kanchanaburi are helping drug dealers and drug addicts on their way to a new life I want to do good deeds to pay for my past sins, Somsak, 44, a former amphetamine dealer in Tambon Thamakham, Muang district, Kanchanaburi confidently told Perspective. When I think of my past
If there was a headline in today s newspaper that said Young woman jumps from highrise what would be your first reaction? A) She had a broken heart. B) She had a difficult life. C) She had a work problem. If you choose A, you re with the majority of readers who have fallen prey to media construction of myths about wome
Once again the Internet has been assigned the role of bedroom detective in the world s most comprehensive sex survey. The Durex Global Sex Survey 2003 is the eighth survey of its kind, and this is the second year in which the World Wide Web will be utilised to explore the domain of people s sex lives. Sponsored by the
Teachers can tackle the stigma against students with HIV by sending their children to the same schools, Social Development and Human Security Minister Anurak Jureemat said yesterday. As respected people in the community, teachers could help allay public fears. If teachers show no fear by allowing their children to join
The prospect of a prolonged economic recession is causing concern that progress towards UN social development goals may recede or stagnate, United Nations officials said yesterday. The remarks were made at the launching of a report compiled by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the UN D
An expanding male prostitution business is attracting family men and women in a trend which raises health and social concerns, says the author of a research paper. The finding challenged the conventional thinking that men with family were not interested in sex with male prostitutes, said Suporn Koetsawang, president of
Schools have been told not to expel the 17,000 students with HIV and ensure home-schooling for those in a serious condition. Earlier, the national children s health institute director Surapee Ruangsuwan said the 17,367 primary and secondary school students with HIV suffered discrimination and might be expelled under pr
You are strongly opposed to smoking and whenever you can you point out the perils of puffing on that perilous weed. You may not be so forthright in your condemnation as King James I of England, who in 1604 provided the definitive anti-smoking tirade, but you constantly point out its evils. King James s lurid descriptio
After he retired from his successful business in Barcelona and began sailing around the world on his own yacht, little did Jose Luis Gay know that within a few short years he would be spending almost all of his waking hours helping the poor and disadvantaged on Phuket. His yacht is now for sale as his work with the Lif
Twenty-five countries took part in the Sixth East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultation on Children in Bali this week, and they came out with shocking statistics. One million young children aged 12-17 are engaged in the sex trade. Eleven million are expected to be Aids orphans in 2010. Over 80% of children in
NGOs working with Aids and people living with Aids/HIV yesterday backed the Food and Drug Administration s ban on the food additive V1-Immunitor. In their statement, the NGOs urged the FDA to continue using its powers to protect the rights of people living with Aids/HIV. They said the backers of V1-Immunitor had misled
NGOs working with Aids and people living with Aids/HIV yesterday backed the Food and Drug Administration s ban on the food additive V1-Immunitor. In their statement, the NGOs urged the FDA to continue using its powers to protect the rights of people living with Aids/HIV. They said the backers of V1-Immunitor had misled
The National Food Commission has decided to revoke the manufacturing and sales licences for the controversial food supplements V-1, V-2, V-3 and V-4 Immunitors, saying they were sub-standard products whose effectiveness as a cure for HIV/Aids had been exaggerated. Food and Drug Administration secretary-general Supachai
The Central Correctional Institute for Drug Addicts is having trouble treating inmates infected with tuberculosis due to a serious shortage of medicines, medical staff and X-ray machines. Dr Somphob Sangkhutkaew, director of the health centre, said yesterday that TB had become a serious problem in its jails. About
International organisations urged the business sector yesterday to make the HIV/Aids epidemic one of the bottom line issues at the workplace. A one-day study programme, entitled Thailand CEO study mission on HIV/Aids , was organised by Thailand Business Coalition on Aids (TBCA) to brief top management people about the
Bangkok RIA, a Thai-owned medical research and development company, is working on producing quick-test diagnosis equipment for Sars, following its successful development of HIV quick testing equipment. Forty researchers were currently involved in the effort to develop ways to test for the deadly virus, said Ninlawan Pi
The Public Health Ministry has warned employers about the danger of bringing more tuberculosis to Thailand through foreign labourers - with Burmese workers being the most serious risk group. The ministry checked about 450,000 legal migrant workers last year and found that about 3,500 had symptoms suggesting they had TB
Ten year-old Tarn seldom smiles or talks. She has a gloomy expression and her eyes darken when asked about her parents, who died of HIV/Aids three years ago. Tarn s mother died first, then her father, followed by her elder sister, who was only 7-years-old. Test results later revealed Tarn had been fortunate not to cont
About 100 victims of chemical and lead poisoning yesterday protested at the Public Health Ministry. The group, represented by the Council of Work and Environment Related Patient s Network of Thailand (WEPT), urged the ministry to take measures to address health problems among victims of the chemical blaze in Klong Toey
Thailand will receive US$209 million (9.2 billion baht) from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the next five years, making it the world s third largest recipient after Malawi and Ethiopia . The fund, established by G-8 countries two years ago, has already given the kingdom a
Thailand will host the next board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The fund was established by G-8 countries in 2001 with a commitment of US$1.3 billion to finance programmes relating to the three major diseases. Thailand is also a donor to the fund. I am going to discuss Thail
Anti-Aids measures have been stepped up here amid concern that HIV infection is increasing among young people at dormitories and boarding houses. Somsak Akkhasilp, director of the provincial disease control office, said it and Ubon Ratchathani University had asked 40 dormitories around the campus to support campaigns a
A Rajavithi hospital doctor being investigated for promoting V-1 Immunitor as a cure for HIV/Aids insists her studies meet international standards. Orapun Metadilogkul, also the president of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association of Thailand , said her studies were reliable and published in two interna
The Public Health Ministry has unveiled plans to clamp down on the food supplement V-1 Immunitor and set up a panel to investigate a woman doctor who claimed the product could cure HIV/Aids. The ministry and the Food and Drug Administration yesterday held a press conference to counter claims that the product could effe
The business community could play a vital role in combatting Aids in Asia, Richard Holbrookes, president of the Global Business Coalition says. He was speaking yesterday at a conference, Business fights Aids in Asia . The coalition groups international businesses dedicated to help fight HIV/Aids. Mr Holbrookes said com
The Public Health Ministry is working on a plan to counter claims that food supplement V-1 Immunitor can cure HIV/Aids, amid increasing publicity about its effectiveness. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said staff would compile information about the product and tell the public the truth. Earlier, Orapun Metad
An Aids researcher is urging caution after a US company claimed it had found a vaccine which could prove effective in treating non-Caucasians. The AidsVax results should be interpreted cautiously because they are based on very small samples, said Dwip Kitayaporn of Mahidol University s faculty of tropical medicine.
An inter-country HIV/Aids prevention school programme will kick off next month to raise awareness about the disease in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Paul Chang, the Asian Development Bank s principal education specialist of the Mekong Department, said the 18-month programme would focus on spreading information through
Most victims of human trafficking in Thailand were children and women from neighbouring countries, an NGO monitoring the issue has said. According to the United Nations Children s Fund, up to 1.2 million children worldwide become victims each year. The extent of the problem was mapped out by Unicef deputy executive dir
Thailand s Government Pharmaceutical Organisation yesterday signed an agreement to supply HIV cocktail anti-viral drugs to its Indonesian counterpart for three years. The drug supply worth 84 million baht was in accordance with the public health cooperation pact agreed by the 10 Asean nations. The first delivery of the
A doctor who arranged for supermodel Yoko Takano to undergo an HIV test before an army of reporters may face an investigation into whether she violated medical ethics by using the media gathering to talk at length about the food supplement V-1 Immunitor, controversially marketed as a treatment for Aids. Medical Council
Anti-infidelity stickers are for sale from the Interior Ministry housewives club to raise funds for establishing nationwide assistance centres for people with Aids and HIV. Khon Kaen senator Rabiabrat Pongpanich, who heads the club, said it was aiming to sell 30,000 stickers to raise money for forming one-stop service
A doctor who arranged for supermodel Yoko Takano to undergo an HIV test before an army of reporters may face an investigation into whether she violated medical ethics by using the media gathering to talk at length about the food supplement V-1 Immunitor, controversially marketed as a treatment for Aids. Medical Council
Anti-infidelity stickers are for sale from the Interior Ministry housewives club to raise funds for establishing nationwide assistance centres for people with Aids and HIV. Khon Kaen senator Rabiabrat Pongpanich, who heads the club, said it was aiming to sell 30,000 stickers to raise money for forming one-stop service
Model Yoko Takano took another blood test yesterday - her third - to dispel rumours she was HIV-positive. She was tested in front of an army of reporters at a Bangkok hotel, and the result was negative. Dr Orapan Matadilokkul, of Rajavithi hospital, certified the result. The model said the rumours could have stemmed fr
An Aids support network has accused the Intellectual Property Rights Department of bias in favour of pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) over its decision to appeal a ruling limiting the company s patent protection on the anti-retroviral ddI. The Network of People with HIV/Aids in Thailand
Thai tradition would have it that women are the hind legs of the elephant, the base on which the family and thus society are made secure. Remove those hind legs and things collapse. This is what is happening in Africa. A combination of famine and Aids is threatening the backbone of Africa - and the women who keep Afric
Thailand first confronted the terrible problem of Aids more than 15 years ago. At first there was denial, a short but critical period when the infections and disease gained a foothold. Then, with leadership from both the government and private sector, the nation faced the reality of the worst epidemic in memory. A pu
Fighting poverty, HIV and drugs tops the Social Development and Human Security Ministry s agenda, Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said yesterday. Speaking to 4,000 staff at a ministerial workshop, Mr Chaturon said the number of people defined as poor had increased from 6.8 million in 1996 to 8.2 million in 200
Scouts from Western countries say having sex and forming relationships is common practice among participants at the 20th World Scout Jamboree in Sattahip. They say they are well aware of the risk of sexually transmitted disease and take the necessary precautions. Rob Rolfe, 17, from Britain, said he believed some coupl
The rate of HIV infection among pregnant women fell by 0.1% in 2002 as parents adopted a greater degree of responsibility in practising prevention measures, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday. However, figures for the young revealed an alarming trend, as infection rates among teenagers jumped from
A plan to place condom vending machines in public places faces opposition from government agencies worried this could provoke sexual promiscuity. Several vending machines placed in the provinces have been removed by local police on grounds that they were inappropriate, according to the National Aids Prevention and Cont
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