Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - Saturday, July 10, 2004
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
Jon Ungpakorn, a Bangkok senator and Aids activist, yesterday raised concern over the government's alleged failure to curb HIV-Aids among the two groups.
He said though the government was successful in reducing the number of new HIV/Aids cases, the infection rate among drug users in jails had showed no decline.
The rate of HIV infections in Thailand had dropped from 143,000 cases in 1991 to 19,000 last year. However, prisons remained major Aids breeding grounds, said Mr Jon, a representative of Access Foundation which provides support and consultation for HIV/Aids victims in Thailand.
The infection rate among intravenous drug users had never fallen in the past 20 years, he added.
Of the more than 1.2 million prisoners nationwide, more than 60% were serving time for drug offences. However, no reports about intravenous drug users in jail or about those infected with HIV had ever been made public, Mr Jon said.
Intravenous drug users were directly or indirectly involved in the spread of HIV in prisons. The problem, if left unaddressed, could spread out to affect people outside, he warned.
The transmission cycle among drug injectors would not be broken unless the government seriously tackled the problem in the same way it dealt with commercial sex.
Making disposable syringes available to drug users could help contain the HIV spread, he said, adding that drug addicts should not be regarded as criminals but as patients in need of proper treatment and rehabilitation.
Meechai Veravaidya, also a Bangkok senator, said Aids infection among young people was a worry, as prevention campaigns outside the sex service were being neglected.
Nationwide prevention programmes for young people and strong public education on HIV prevention must be sustained, said Mr Mechai, who chairs the Population and Community Development Association which has promoted condom use in the country for more than a decade. He suggested that Thailand take the advantage of being the host to an upcoming International Aids Conference to play a major role in seeking from top-level leaders a strong political commitment to the global fight against HIV/Aids.
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