AEGiS-Bangkok Post: HIV/AIDS: Campaigns to focus on infection among young

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV/AIDS: Campaigns to focus on infection among young

Bangkok Post - December 1, 2004
Yuwadee Tunyasiri

Although new HIV cases are on the decline, there is mounting concern that the rate of infection among young people and women is rising and the health ministry has said this will set the future direction of its Aids campaigns.

Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday that global surveys over the past five years had found more youngsters and women were infected with the HIV virus and in Thailand their numbers had risen by 17%.

She said 70,000 young people are now infected and most are girls and young women aged from 15-24.

Therefore, new Aids campaigns would turn to youth and women and focus on the use of condoms that could guarantee against infection, she said.

"In our culture, it is difficult for girls to carry condoms [with them] so girls are victims in general. Everyone must help to protect girls and teenagers from infection," Mrs Sudarat said.

The annual Aids infection rate in Thailand has declined from 100,000 to 21,000 and the Public Health Ministry hopes to curb this to 17,000 next year.

Mrs Sudarat said anti-Aids medicines would be included in the government's 30-baht medical care scheme and researchers were coming up with new types of medicines for patients where the virus was becoming drug-resistant.

The government will guarantee all patients access to Aids drugs, she said.

For World Aids Day today, the ministry will launch campaigns and activities at the National Stadium and Siam Square. Mrs Sudarat led celebrities distributing condoms to cabinet ministers at Government House yesterday.

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