Phuket Second Highest Hiv Infection Rate In Thailand

[george]

Phuket second highest HIV infection rate in Thailand

PHUKET CITY: -- Phuket now ranks second among Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of HIV infection, with the large number of nightlife entertainment venues and the sex industry seen as the cause.

Dr Wiwat Sitomnoch of the Phuket Public Health Office reported that the incidence of HIV infection among teenagers and young adults in Phuket is rising, as are the number of cases of gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases. About 90% of cases are the result of unsafe sex practices, he said.

The Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control has been keeping statistics of HIV/Aids cases in public and private hospitals in Thailand since 1984.

As of August 31 this year, 335,414 cases had been reported, with 91,839 deaths.

In Phuket, the number of cases reported from public and private hospitals between 1989 and October 2008 is 5,864, with 1,531 deaths. The number of cases among men is greater than among women by a factor of 2:1.

In a breakdown of the Phuket statistics by age, the highest incidence was among people aged 25-39 years. In this range, the highest incidence was among 30-34 year olds, with an incidence of 25.67%, followed by 25-29 year olds (22.10%) and 35-39 year olds (18.02%).

By profession, the most cases were among people who describe themselves as “workers for hire”, followed by domestic workers, the unemployed, retail vendors, company workers, manual laborers and 'fisherfolk', respectively.

Dr Wiwat said Phuket has the second highest infection rate in Thailand, second only to Ranong, for the period from 2007 to August 31 this year.

-- Phuket Gazette 2008-11-20

http://www.phuketgazette.com/dailynews/index.asp?id=6915

[Ijustwannateach]

So, since 1984, there are a total of 335,414 cases reported (presumably nationwide?).

I make that a percentage of the official population of Thailand (ballpark: 60 million) 0.56%, or less than 1%.

Furthermore, they say the ratio of male to female is 2:1, which means that 1/3 of those infected are NOT gay men (because not men).

Assuming that ALL the other cases are among gay men (NO straight men), then guessing at a generous 10% of the entire population being gay and about half being male, that's a ballpark figure of 3,000,000 gay guys. If the roughly 200,000 non-female cases are all in that group, then the maximum likely percentage infection in the entire gay population of Thailand (assuming no straight males are infected at all) is about 6.66%. Naturally, if ANY straight men are infected, that number would be lower.

And we're supposed to believe that other alarmist article that claimed that the infection rate among the gay populations of major cities were numbers like 30%, 25%, 20% (Phuket!)?

Shame on them, shame, shame.

"S"

[mc2]

So, since 1984, there are a total of 335,414 cases reported (presumably nationwide?).

I make that a percentage of the official population of Thailand (ballpark: 60 million) 0.56%, or less than 1%.

Furthermore, they say the ratio of male to female is 2:1, which means that 1/3 of those infected are NOT gay men (because not men).

Assuming that ALL the other cases are among gay men (NO straight men), then guessing at a generous 10% of the entire population being gay and about half being male, that's a ballpark figure of 3,000,000 gay guys. If the roughly 200,000 non-female cases are all in that group, then the maximum likely percentage infection in the entire gay population of Thailand (assuming no straight males are infected at all) is about 6.66%. Naturally, if ANY straight men are infected, that number would be lower.

And we're supposed to believe that other alarmist article that claimed that the infection rate among the gay populations of major cities were numbers like 30%, 25%, 20% (Phuket!)?

Shame on them, shame, shame.

"D"

But from an AIDS awareness perspective , inflating numbers could increase safety (through awareness and fear) amongst one of the most vulnerable groups . Theres no shame in saving lives .

[jcon]

So, since 1984, there are a total of 335,414 cases reported (presumably nationwide?).

I make that a percentage of the official population of Thailand (ballpark: 60 million) 0.56%, or less than 1%.

Furthermore, they say the ratio of male to female is 2:1, which means that 1/3 of those infected are NOT gay men (because not men).

Assuming that ALL the other cases are among gay men (NO straight men), then guessing at a generous 10% of the entire population being gay and about half being male, that's a ballpark figure of 3,000,000 gay guys. If the roughly 200,000 non-female cases are all in that group, then the maximum likely percentage infection in the entire gay population of Thailand (assuming no straight males are infected at all) is about 6.66%. Naturally, if ANY straight men are infected, that number would be lower.

And we're supposed to believe that other alarmist article that claimed that the infection rate among the gay populations of major cities were numbers like 30%, 25%, 20% (Phuket!)?

Shame on them, shame, shame.

"D"

Did george's article even mention gays at all? I didn't see any reference to homosexuality in my cursory read. So what's your beef with it?

The title is "Phuket Second Highest Hiv Infection Rate In Thailand." Ok, Pattaya probably takes the cake and then it's BKK and Phuket for either 2nd or 3rd. I don't think we need any stats to figure that one out.

[joskydive]

So, since 1984, there are a total of 335,414 cases reported (presumably nationwide?).

I make that a percentage of the official population of Thailand (ballpark: 60 million) 0.56%, or less than 1%.

Furthermore, they say the ratio of male to female is 2:1, which means that 1/3 of those infected are NOT gay men (because not men).

Assuming that ALL the other cases are among gay men (NO straight men), then guessing at a generous 10% of the entire population being gay and about half being male, that's a ballpark figure of 3,000,000 gay guys. If the roughly 200,000 non-female cases are all in that group, then the maximum likely percentage infection in the entire gay population of Thailand (assuming no straight males are infected at all) is about 6.66%. Naturally, if ANY straight men are infected, that number would be lower.

And we're supposed to believe that other alarmist article that claimed that the infection rate among the gay populations of major cities were numbers like 30%, 25%, 20% (Phuket!)?

Shame on them, shame, shame.

"D"

Did george's article even mention gays at all? I didn't see any reference to homosexuality in my cursory read. So what's your beef with it?

The title is "Phuket Second Highest Hiv Infection Rate In Thailand." Ok, Pattaya probably takes the cake and then it's BKK and Phuket for either 2nd or 3rd. I don't think we need any stats to figure that one out.

Dr Wiwat said Phuket has the second highest infection rate in Thailand, second only to Ranong, for the period from 2007 to August 31 this year.

I guess you should learn to read also.

[Mosha]

Actually I've heard it's Ranong. A relatively small populaton. The vast majority of prostitutes are Burmese, the Thai/Burmese guys who go visit them will not use a condom. Go figure.

[jcon]

joskydive,

not to be pedantic (god i love that one), but i did say "cursory read." Sorry if I missed Ranong as the 2nd AIDS hotspot in Thailand... either way, it wasn't the point of my post. I haven't had an IQ throwdown on TV in awhile, why not do it in some obscure news thread about AIDS?

[LaoPo]

So, since 1984, there are a total of 335,414 cases reported (presumably nationwide?).

I make that a percentage of the official population of Thailand (ballpark: 60 million) 0.56%, or less than 1%.

Furthermore, they say the ratio of male to female is 2:1, which means that 1/3 of those infected are NOT gay men (because not men).

Assuming that ALL the other cases are among gay men (NO straight men), then guessing at a generous 10% of the entire population being gay and about half being male, that's a ballpark figure of 3,000,000 gay guys. If the roughly 200,000 non-female cases are all in that group, then the maximum likely percentage infection in the entire gay population of Thailand (assuming no straight males are infected at all) is about 6.66%. Naturally, if ANY straight men are infected, that number would be lower.

And we're supposed to believe that other alarmist article that claimed that the infection rate among the gay populations of major cities were numbers like 30%, 25%, 20% (Phuket!)?

Shame on them, shame, shame.

"D"

Ijustwannateach:

this is a link from the CIA about Thailand: look under people - HIV/AIDS: (the estimates are from 2003 though)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/th.../th.html#People

LaoPo

[Ijustwannateach]

Jcon,

If you read my post carefully, you will see that I am comparing the figures cited there with those cited in another recent HIV article (more specifically targetting gays- link still in the last post).

LaoPo,

The CIA article estimates 1.5%, which considering that the official figures are probably under-reporting the truth basically puts my back-of-the-placemat figures in the right ballpark... so when're they gonna offer me a job?

"S"

[oevna]

But from an AIDS awareness perspective , inflating numbers could increase safety (through awareness and fear) amongst one of the most vulnerable groups . Theres no shame in saving lives .

There may be no shame in their intentions, if they are trying to save lives. However, if you get a reputation for exaggerating the facts, then people will learn to underestimate everything you say, even when you are not exaggerating. Honesty is the best policy.

However, I doubt this is a case of deliberate exaggeration. This is most likely a case of interpreting the data differently, or looking at different sets of data and coming up with different conclusions.

-oev

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

-- Mark Twain (who was actually quoting Benjamin Disraeli)

Edited November 20, 2008 by oevna

[cougar52]

In a breakdown of the Phuket statistics by age, the highest incidence was among people aged 25-39 years. In this range, the highest incidence was among 30-34 year olds, with an incidence of 25.67%, followed by 25-29 year olds (22.10%) and 35-39 year olds (18.02%).

Boys and girls, if I'm not mistaken, these per percentages are based by age group of the total cases.

For example if there were 300,000 cases; then 25.67% of the 300.000 cases were in the 30-34 age group.

[geriatrickid]

It's a shame that this news item will get buried fast, but it's heavy duty. There are other statements far more serious that aren't mentioned in the article.

Dr Wiwat Sitomnoch's incomplete statements are part of a Public Health campaign now underway. There have been several conferences and meetings on HIV and STI throughout Thailand in the past month. Most of the meetings were intended to review the reasons for the increase in infections in certain segments of the population, particularly that of MSM.

To put the Phuket news report in context I will quote from the information released by the MoH and made available through the public health education channels. I'm not in the mood to hunt down the various MoH summaries or newspaper articles, so I'm going to take the lazy route and just pull some pertinent statements from Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation bulletin. For the actual report please refer to http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy

Somchai Chakrabhand, director general of Thailand's Department of Disease Control (DDC –Bangkok)

- MSM are at a higher risk of contracting HIV in concentrated tourism centers such as Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.

- HIV incidence among MSM in Bangkok increased from 17% in 2003 to 30% in 2007. The rate of new HIV cases in Chiang Mai rose to 16.9% last year from 15.3% in 2005, while rates in Phuket increased from 5.5% in 2005 to 20% in 2007.

- Half of MSM do not use condoms and male commercial sex workers are at high risk of contracting HIV because they engage in unsafe sexual behavior and lack knowledge of HIV prevention.

- High rates of new HIV/AIDS cases have been increasing among MSM in recent years because a prevention campaign had been discontinued.

Manoon Jaikueankaew (DDC - Chiang Mai)

-Gay males do not have access to public health services or medication for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. - Gays with HIV/AIDS or STIs do not seek treatment because of related stigma.

- There are insufficient agency resources to support HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in local areas. (Note: When I referenced the last statement in the gay part of TV, I was ripped into and it was intimated that I was making it up. Unfortunately, if you are engaged in MSM you have limited access to healthcare. For some reason I can't grasp, many gay farangs have a hard time accepting that. However, it is one of the key reasons for the increase in the cases.)

Chatwut Wangwon MoH

- In Phuket, a significant number of MSM who contract HIV are students, of working age and single.

- At least 27% of the MSM could have sex with men or women, which means they also can transmit the virus to women.

- (Believes) 50% of MSM do not use condoms.

My own observations as to why there is such an increase;

- Phuket has a growing unsupervised/unregulated sex trade.

- The mandatory STI/HIV testing program in the entertainment zones is ineffective. Simply put, there is no testing program.

- There has been an influx of infected people from other regions.

- There is inconsistent or non-existant prevention education in place in the entertainment zones and school system throughout Phuket.

One of the little secrets of collecting HIV numbers is that the MSM numbers are under reported, while the MSF numbers are over reported. Alot of guys will say they contracted HIV via from a female when the reality is that they were engaged in homosexual behaviour.

[animatic]

But from an AIDS awareness perspective , inflating numbers could increase safety (through awareness and fear) amongst one of the most vulnerable groups . Theres no shame in saving lives .

There may be no shame in their intentions, if they are trying to save lives. However, if you get a reputation for exaggerating the facts, then people will learn to underestimate everything you say, even when you are not exaggerating. Honesty is the best policy.

However, I doubt this is a case of deliberate exaggeration. This is most likely a case of interpreting the data differently, or looking at different sets of data and coming up with different conclusions.

-oev

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

-- Mark Twain (who was actually quoting Benjamin Disraeli)

Of course being in California, and not Thailand, it's easier to say

"Honesty is the best policy." with a straight face...

Most politicians exaggerate some, for effect,

and most entities dealing with them massage their figures to best effect.

When it becomes out right lies then it becomes less effective.

Geriatrickid,

good report.

I am less worried about the hard numbers than the trend

and lack of education behind it. It's eas6y to find fault with messengers,

but much harder to face up to the nasty solutions needed.

Edited November 21, 2008 by animatic

[BarryM]

From a decade or so of serious monging in Thailand - Just my own observations, Phuket included:

-The bar boys seldom insist on condoms.

-On several occasions where I've noticed something wrong with them "downstairs" I've offered to take them to hospital to get treatment (Bumrungrad, BK Pattaya, Bkk Phuket).

-Doctors are usually very disdainful in dealing with these boys.

-Of the four that agreed to having HIV tests, three tested HIV positive.

-One is living in BKK on government treatment. One is living in UK on drug trial (Gilead), the other is working at a coyote bar and has follow ups with a voluntary HIV practice in Pattaya.

My own view is that the numbers in Thailand are understated.

[Okidoki]

Well.... A year ago or so, US and Thailand was in a big dispute with their tradeagreement. US wanted to cancel due Thailands import of Generic drugs as as well as illegal copies of music, clothes, etc.

The US chamber of commerce, put out full page adverts in most of the leading papers, explaining that they can´t support a country that acts that way.

The Thai health minister replied with their own full page ads and explained that the cost f eks of HIV medications was too expensive for the average Thai person and the hospitals with the ratio of about 100 to 1, if they bought generic drugs instead of original US products. He also replied that due to the 700 000 HIV infected in Thailand, The Thai healthcare can not afford it! What was said at that time was that this was the first time Thailand acknowledged the correcxt amount of HIV infected. And they did it by mistake since they really wanted to pin point the high expenses for buying drugs!

I think that is in line with what is stated in the CIA Factbook and other official reports as well. About 1.2 - 1.5 % of the population is infected.

Bring that down to the agegroups and of who many works in the sexindustry here.... Hey, a lot of people might get lucky this weekend!

[12DrinkMore]

Apart from my usual hefty dose of skepticism when seeing any statistics coming out of Thailand, I wonder about

1. Who gets tested?

2. Why do they get tested?

3. Who pays for it?

4. Where are the results collated?

because

- I have yet to meet a "sex worker" who admits to having been tested. let alone being HIV+.

- No Burmese illegal prostitute is going to volunteer to be tested.

- I suspect that most "sex workers" would rather not know.

- I doubt whether most "sex workers" would want to pay for a test.

- There appears to be a huge ignorance regarding STD's; transmission, signs and their treatment.

for example

- unprotected oral sex seems to be acceptable, it may not be a HIV high risk, but it is certainly a high risk for all other STDs. I have difficulty in understanding the rational behind this. I wonder how many "customers" would engage in a heavy bout of "french kissing" if they though about the 10's or even 100's of unprotected orally satisfied punters had been there before?

- signs of infection often go ignored

I could go on, but I have to go.

[brahmburgers]

Actually I've heard it's Ranong. A relatively small populaton. The vast majority of prostitutes are Burmese, the Thai/Burmese guys who go visit them will not use a condom. Go figure.

I agree with that observation. On the one hand, Asian guys will likely speak the same language as the sex worker, so they can more readily convince sex workers that they're clean - along with a lot of grinning and joking. A more warped-reasoned ploy is this: the Asian client will tell the sex worker, "sure farang use condoms, but that's because they have diseases. We Asians don't need to use condoms, because we don't have diseases. Simple."

In a breakdown of the Phuket statistics by age, the highest incidence was among people aged 25-39 years. In this range, the highest incidence was among 30-34 year olds, with an incidence of 25.67%, followed by 25-29 year olds (22.10%) and 35-39 year olds (18.02%). Boys and girls, if I'm not mistaken, these per percentages are based by age group of the total cases. For example if there were 300,000 cases; then 25.67% of the 300.000 cases were in the 30-34 age group.

Those statistics - near one quarter testing positive - are riveting! .....and those are just for the ones who got tested. I personally know of sex workers who won't get tested or can't afford to - so, a very thorough survey would show an even higher incidence!

From a decade or so of serious monging in Thailand - Just my own observations, Phuket included:

-The bar boys seldom insist on condoms.

-On several occasions where I've noticed something wrong with them "downstairs" I've offered to take them to hospital to get treatment (Bumrungrad, BK Pattaya, Bkk Phuket).

-Doctors are usually very disdainful in dealing with these boys.

-Of the four that agreed to having HIV tests, three tested HIV positive.

-One is living in BKK on government treatment. One is living in UK on drug trial (Gilead), the other is working at a coyote bar and has follow ups with a voluntary HIV practice in Pattaya.

My own view is that the numbers in Thailand are understated.

The word is 'mongering,' not 'monging.' .....from whore monger. Incidentally, the word 'whore' comes from Germanic warrior tribes of centuries ago, who use to travel with hanger-on women - who would launder, gather and cook food , and perform other services. Those women were called 'whores.' Many were actually wives in every sense of the word.

Edited November 21, 2008 by brahmburgers

[oevna]

Apart from my usual hefty dose of skepticism when seeing any statistics coming out of Thailand, I wonder about

1. Who gets tested?

I have heard first-hand from a sex worker that there is free testing available for them, and that their employer required it.

2. Why do they get tested?

I was going to say "for obvious reasons," but I don't think it's actually as simple as the obvious reasons. I think the ones who have children to raise are rightly concerned about being able to continue to provide for them. I wasn't aware of this for a long time because none admitted to having children until I got to know them for a while, and I don't know too many of them. Also, at least superficially it seems to be required by some employers.

3. Who pays for it?

I have no idea.

4. Where are the results collated?

No idea.

because

- I have yet to meet a "sex worker" who admits to having been tested. let alone being HIV+.

I have met one who said she was required to be tested every three months. Now, as for how strictly enforced this is, I have no idea.

- No Burmese illegal prostitute is going to volunteer to be tested.

I have never met an illegal Burmese prostitute. Only "legal" Thai ones.

- I suspect that most "sex workers" would rather not know.

Probably true, although I think it varies from person to person.

- I doubt whether most "sex workers" would want to pay for a test.

Also probably true. I think the free testing is a good idea, as long as it's sustainable.

- There appears to be a huge ignorance regarding STD's; transmission, signs and their treatment.

for example

- unprotected oral sex seems to be acceptable, it may not be a HIV high risk, but it is certainly a high risk for all other STDs. I have difficulty in understanding the rational behind this. I wonder how many "customers" would engage in a heavy bout of "french kissing" if they though about the 10's or even 100's of unprotected orally satisfied punters had been there before?

I don't know what the average level of awareness is among them. I've only talked to a few of them, but all said that they always insist that their customers use condoms, and that this was the case for most of their co-workers. As for oral sex, I don't know. I have never asked about that.

- signs of infection often go ignored

I could go on, but I have to go.

Lots of good questions. I would also be interested in knowing who collects the data on the STD infection rate in the sex trade, and how wide-spread the testing is. The people I talked to all worked in the major tourist-oriented districts, but I have heard that most of the sex trade is not targeted towards foreign customers, and that sector seems to be much less visible (to me anyway).

[oevna]

Of course being in California, and not Thailand, it's easier to say

"Honesty is the best policy." with a straight face...

Most politicians exaggerate some, for effect,

and most entities dealing with them massage their figures to best effect.

When it becomes out right lies then it becomes less effective.

The fact that I currently live in California has no bearing on this. I have spent a lot of time in Thailand for extended periods of time, and not just hanging out in the tourist areas. I am also not so naive as to think that politicians in Thailand or elsewhere won't exaggerate statistics to promote their causes.

However, I was not referring to politicians in Thailand. I was responding to your comment suggesting that there is no shame in exaggerating the figures on HIV infection rates in order to generate higher AIDS awareness in the population. I think that there would be shame in using this tactic. Fell free to disagree.

[geriatrickid]

I would also be interested in knowing who collects the data on the STD infection rate in the sex trade, and how wide-spread the testing is.

Excellent question.

Who Collects the Data: Thailand Ministry of Health either through its own staff or the Thai Military. Large studies are usually with support from the US CDC. For male focused studies Thai Red Cross Society and Rainbow Sky Association (Gay Organization) assist. Other worldwide agencies such as WHO, Health Canada and RIVM (Netherlands) will provide assistance and support as part of joint research initiatives. The Thai MoH has a good reputation internationally for its studies.

Subject Pools: The largest pool of subjects comes courtesy of the military. Each year there are new recruits due to national service requirements. The military does a great job at collecting data in an orderly manner and providing reliable test results. The large cross section of recruits provides the most reliable indication of that age group.

Other Study Subject Pools: A great deal of thought goes into how to identify good data sources. Fieldworkers actually stake out locations. Here's an excerpt from a couple of the studies on males undertaken in 2003, 2005 and 2007, sponsored by the MoH & US CDC.

-Studies conducted in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket provinces.

- Subjects were categorized as male sex with male (MSM), male sex workers (MSW), or transgendered persons (TG).

- Risk factors were independently associated with HIV infection:

i) being recruited from Bangkok or Chiang Mai or Phuket (MSM), older age (MSM and TG),

ii) being recruited from a park or street location (MSW and TG),

iii) drug use (MSM),

iv) self-reporting a history of sexually transmitted infections STI (MSW), and

v) self-reporting a previous HIV-positive test result or refusing to disclose a previous HIV test result (MSM and MSW).

At various times of the day subjects were recruited where MSM, MSW, and TG hang out and where they look for sex partners and clients. These included bars and clubs, parks, saunas, street locations, and sex-work venues (e.g. hooker bars and massage parlors where sex is sold). Locations and participants were selected by using a systematic process of mapping and visiting venues, enumerating attendance at different times and days, and determining eligibility of participants and their willingness to participate. To participate, a person had to be Thai, male at birth, a resident of the study area, and aged >15 years and had to have engaged in anal or oral sex with a man during the preceding 6 months. Participation was voluntary and anonymous, and oral informed consent was required.

A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic and behavioral information, which was completed using handheld computers. Oral fluid specimens were collected using OraSure and tested. Positive samples were retested in duplicate, and two or more positive wells were reported as oral fluid anti-HIV positive. Oral HIV test results were available to participants who, if determined to be HIV positive, were referred for confirmatory serum testing

Edit: Forgot to mention that the studies referenced above can involve 100+ locations with 2000+ subjects.

Edited November 22, 2008 by geriatrickid

[brahmburgers]

I would be surprised if a significant % of sex workers get tested and/or surveyed.

Many sex workers bolt at the mere mention of anyone in authority on the premises. Some are freelancers who melt away. Just as very few Thais wear seatbelts, and even fewer of their passengers or children are compelled to - so too most Thais have a 'mai pen rai' attitude about STD's - for them, it's something that happens to others.

In a very superstitious population like we have in Thailand, even the mere mention of something bad is thought (by them) to increase the possibility of it happening. People who mention the danger of STD's to others can sometimes be ostracized and/or pegged with thinking 'negatively.' Superstition also feeds in to the concept that 'you got it, because it was your karma to get it.' or 'you must have got infected because of your negative thoughts or by dwelling on the issue.'

Perhaps off topic, but I have construction workers who will only wear safety glasses and/or work gloves and/or ear plugs and/or decent shoes for hazardous jobs, when I insist - and I actually hand them the items. They never go off to the tool box to put them on for themselves. Even after initially donning the safety items, they'll invariably space out using them subsequent times - saying either 'mai pen rai' or 'forget forget' (sounds a bit like like 'f#ck it').

In sum, lax and superstitious mindsets exacerbate a problem.

In Africa (as if they don't already have enough serious problems), there's a widespread belief by HIV/AIDS infected men, that if they nail a virgin without using a condom, they'll be rid of the disease. I've heard mention that some Asian men believe that stupid notion also - which is as cruel as walking up to a kid and stabbing her with a knife taken out of a septic pit.

[cloudhopper]

If 90% of cases are caused by unsafe sex practices then where do the remaining 10% come from - childbirth, transfusions or other medical proceedures? That doesn't seem to be addressed and should be of immense concern. But all these surveys (or at least their reporting) in LOS lack any credibility IMO.

[oevna]

If 90% of cases are caused by unsafe sex practices then where do the remaining 10% come from - childbirth, transfusions or other medical proceedures? That doesn't seem to be addressed and should be of immense concern. But all these surveys (or at least their reporting) in LOS lack any credibility IMO.

Perhaps IV drug use with shared needles? Or "safe" sex practices, which are not 100% safe. Just thinking out loud.

Edited November 22, 2008 by oevna

[DP25]

As of August 31 this year, 335,414 cases had been reported, with 91,839 deaths.

What exactly does that mean, 335,414 have been reported? Last I read the number of new HIV infections in Thailand was roughly ~12,000 per year, down from ~150,000 per year in the early 90s. Thailand seems to have gotten HIV under control, and with forced licensing of American drugs should be able to treat the people who already have it.

[DisainaM]

while places, like Pattaya and Betong are not in the first places, that might lead to the conclusion, that this has nothing to do, with sex tourism industry, but more with the normal sexual behavior of the thai workers, who came from the poor regions, to build up Phuket, after the tsunami.

These workers get infected in a scene, where western tourist never even think about, of joining these places;

so we should accept, that the problem had left the western red light places in Thailand.

So the good news is, Pattaya is back no normal, and you can see it like Amsterdam, Prag, Hamburg and all the other places, with a huge redlight scene.

[marc651]

PHUKET CITY: -- Phuket now ranks second among Thailand's 76 provinces in terms of HIV infection, with the large number of nightlife entertainment venues and the sex industry seen as the cause.

I would say the HIV prevention policy or let's say the lack thereof should be seen as the 'cause' rather than the 'number' of nightlife venues!

Thailand was once a leader in HIV prevention, airing an agressive awareness campaign that was praised around the world and showed effect in reducing the initial HIV infection boom in the 90'ties.

The Taksin establishment turned back the clock, stating these anti-aids campaigns 'put Thailand in a bad spotlight'.

Moral preaching, "abstinence talk" and other proven couterproductive 'Bush style approaches' are now starting to show their effect on the nationwide HIV infection numbers.

Edited November 23, 2008 by marc651

[HorseDoctor]

Notice how it's s men who are th largest group getting AIDS, you would think it would be women as they are more vulnerable , being recipients of semen.

This proves my suspicions - far more men are having sex with one another than is acknowleged.

Chances of AIDS beining transmitted vaginally to men, or women are slim and none. Whic his why lesbians have the lowest HIV rate of any group.

[Old Croc]

Another memorable post from Horsedoctor

[patklang]

many hiv victims come from up country and descend on pattaya/phuket/kho samui,and dont even know they have the disease.my gf,who worked in a hotel had a mate who had been with 2 thai men and had hiv for 2 years and didnt know.

[JSPS]

While I don't doubt for a second that the HIV rate in Thailand is very high, there are some things that I have read over the years that tend to temper my concern.

At one time it was reported that 50% of the male tested as a result of military induction tested positive. That seems like a very high number to me. Even in Thailand.

Another article I read pointed out that not all HIV tests are equal and that the Thai Health Ministry was using a particular test because it was cheap but it give a high number of false positives. The test is widely used worldwide but the positives should be again tested with a more accurate test. This was not happening in Thailand.

The other thing is the propensity for a bureaucracy to expand. AID/HIV testing and treatment brings in a lot of money. No bureaucrat is looking to put himself out of a job. If the Thai Health Ministry doesn't contain a high number of people that siphon off funds into "other areas" it is the only one.

There is probably some truth to all the reports. But the actual prevalence is the question. I personally would consider everyone I know as carrying HIV. Use condoms or die. It's that simple.