Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - August 19, 2005
Apinya Wipatayotin
He said there were signs that the HIV epidemic was threatening to rebound, especially among teenagers, drug users and housewives. And he urged the government not to lower its guard in combatting the disease.
"Thailand has done a good job fighting against HIV/Aids. I hope to see more cooperation, especially in terms of financial support, between the government and independent networks working closely to minimise the epidemic's spread," he said. He was speaking at a press conference at the Public Health Ministry.
The WHO says it has found many indicators showing a possible rebound in the disease, although Thailand has cut the number of new patients living with HIV from 17,000 people last year to 15,000 this year. One third of new HIV infections are among women who have regular sex with their spouses. There were also signs of an increased risk of infection among men who have sex with men.
Dr Sombat Thanprasertsook, an expert on HIV/Aids, said rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were increasing among teenagers.
In 2003, 1,398 teenagers were infected with STDs, and this figure rose to 2,286 the following year.
The increase indicated the higher risk of HIV infection among teenagers, he said. He also pointed out that teenagers aged between 16 and 17 had an increasing tendency to change partners, which was very dangerous.
"We campaigned hard to reduce Aids transmission almost 20 years ago. So teenagers now don't know about our strong campaign against the epidemic," said the deputy permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, Dr Narongsak Ungkaauwapla. "It is likely that they have already ignored its danger. Therefore, from now on, we will switch the campaign directly to teenagers to reduce the risk of HIV infections."
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