Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - February 15, 2005
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul
Supachai Rerks-ngarm, the principal investigator for the Phase III Prime Boost HIV vaccine trial, said epidemiological investigations so far had not discovered the virulent HIV strain in the kingdom.
But he did not rule out the chance of it spreading, saying many Thais living in the United States could easily contract the strain which is highly resistant to virtually all anti-retroviral drugs and appears to lead to the rapid onset of Aids.
Last week, the Health and Mental Hygiene Department of New York City announced the discovery of the rare HIV strain which had shown multiple drug-resistance as well as quickly leading to full-blown Aids.
It issued an alert to all hospitals and doctors in the city to test all newly detected HIV cases for evidence of the rare virus because the extent of its spread remained unknown.
The virus was found in a man in his mid-40s who engaged in unprotected sex with other men while using crystal methamphetamine. The drug's erasure of inhibitions and stimulating effects have long been blamed for sexual marathons which heighten the risk of HIV contraction.
Dr Supachai warned that not only gays but all people had an equal chance of contracting HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases, especially if they have unprotected sex while using drugs.
"HIV/Aids can travel all over the world in less than 24 hours without a passport. And it is possible that anyone can become infected with the virus regardless of the strain as long as they are unaware of the importance of condoms or are involved in drug abuse," he said.
The prevalence of HIV among gays in Thailand was 17%, according to a report in 2003 by the Bureau of Aids.
The vaccine expert urged people who engaged in risky sexual behaviour to have their blood tested at anonymous clinics to prevent Aids spreading as there is still no vaccine for the disease.
Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said she was concerned about a report that 600,000 teenagers aged 15 to 24 preferred one-night stands without using condoms. Such behaviour would increase the Aids infection rate and of other sexually-transmitted diseases to a critical point, she said.
Health authorities will press ahead with a plan to promote condom use among this sexually-active group to try to curb the infection rate in the country.
They put the number of Thais currently infected with HIV/Aids at 354,510.
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