Teenage Sexual Behaviour In Crisis: Aids Experts

[george]

Teenage sexual behaviour in crisis, say AIDS experts

BANGKOK: -- The sexual behaviour of Thai youths could precipitate an AIDS crisis, health experts warned yesterday, forecasting that continuing failure to use condoms could lead to a situation in which an average of three young people became infected with HIV every hour.

Opening the Thai Teen Clean Aids campaign yesterday evening to mark the Valentine's Day, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan cited statistics to show that among Thailand's estimated 3 million sexually active 15-24 year-olds, around 600,000 had never used condoms.

Describing the statistics as a matter of extreme concern, Mrs. Sudarat said: "Data on the sexual behaviour of young people indicates that we have reached a crisis.

As a result of this lack of sexual responsibility, incidents of sexually transmitted diseases rose by 30 percent last year after having fallen continuously for the past decade.

The majority of those contracting sexually transmitted diseases are young people who catch the diseases from their partners, lovers or acquaintances".

The public health minister warned that this could lead to a growing problem of AIDS in the future, as around 10 percent of people with sexually transmitted diseases were also HIV positive.

She attributed the spread of AIDS among young people to the influx of western cultures.

Provincial authorities across the country have been asked to take urgent action to ensure the provision of services intended to prevent and control sexually transmitted disease, and this year the Ministry of Public Health is distributing 20 million free condoms to help encourage sexual health.

At the same time, the ministry will continue with the Thai Teen Clean Aids campaign as a means of instilling the need for safe and responsible sex among young people.

"The campaign to change the sexual behaviour of Thai youths is a matter of extreme importance at the present time", the Permanent Secretary for Public Health, Dr. Vichai Tienthavorn, said yesterday.

"If we don't do something to help, AIDS will spread even more in the future", he added.

Around 50,000 people in Thailand currently develop full-blown AIDS each year, and this year the government will spend Bt1.5 billion on the provision of anti retroviral drugs to HIV suffers.

Dr.Vichai warned that unless young people changed their sexual behaviour, the rate of new HIV infection could rise to three people per hour, with the government having to spend even more money on AIDS medication.

--TNA 2005-02-15

[aaaaaa]

there were news about HIV new form on TV - in relation to this subject about failure to control teens sexual behaviour. something like this virus evolves and becomes more deadly...

any reports on that yet, George?

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Around 50,000 people in Thailand currently develop full-blown AIDS each year

That puts even the Tsunami into perspective. Phew.

[PeaceBlondie]

On this general subject: public health authorities' attitude toward STD's - I was waiting for a flight in the Chiang Mai airport last year when a health worker interviewed me about health concerns. He gave me a questionnaire and a brochure. The brochure had all kinds of information about malaria, hapatitis, dengue fever, etc., but virtually nothing about AIDS or HIV. The questionnaire didn't cover it, except for a final open ended question. I pointed out to the govt. health worker that tourists and expats are very concerned about STD's. He explained that Thais didn't want to mention this. I told him that would make tourists stay away from Thailand.

From the limited conversations I've had with proper Thais, I can't tell that they even discuss sexually transmitted diseases. By contrast, wise professional workers in the sex trade will sometimes look for the expiration date on the condom wrapper.

What do they teach their children?

[taxexile]

She attributed the spread of AIDS among young people to the influx of western cultures.

as always here , blame it on anyone but a thai .

they would do well to look at the (a) the education system and ( the lax parenting here that allows kids to do what they want when they want from the day they were born with hardly any discipline to set boundaries for them and the poor examples set by so many parents.

so many grow up thinking they are untouchable , hence the lack of responsibility , forethought , or consideration for others.

society here has been turned inside out over the past 20 years or so , but to blame it on the west is just another typical thai cop-out.

[Oleg_Rus]

She attributed the spread of AIDS among young people to the influx of western cultures.

as always here , blame it on anyone but a thai .

society here has been turned inside out over the past 20 years or so , but to blame it on the west is just another typical thai cop-out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yes, and they banned to enter some massage parlour to westerners as they are the reason of HIV

[pautai]

it might be due to the fact that using condoms for some people is very difficult/impossible due to their "tight anatomy " . Instruction is needed for KY lubrication usage as well .

[Golf]

She attributed the spread of AIDS among young people to the influx of western cultures.

as always here , blame it on anyone but a thai .

they would do well to look at the (a) the education system and ( the lax parenting here that allows kids to do what they want when they want from the day they were born with hardly any discipline to set boundaries for them and the poor examples set by so many parents.

so many grow up thinking they are untouchable , hence the lack of responsibility , forethought , or consideration for others.

society here has been turned inside out over the past 20 years or so , but to blame it on the west is just another typical thai cop-out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So true. You just see through Thai faces! Glad to hear a farang talks about real Thai attitudes here.

Golf

[Jai Dee]

So true.  You just see through Thai faces!  Glad to hear a farang talks about real Thai attitudes here. 

Really Khun Golf?

It doesn't bother you that some falungs are more than aware of the Thai face, and are prepared to speak out about it?

I find that refreshing...

And honest.

[Jai Dee]

So true.  You just see through Thai faces!  Glad to hear a farang talks about real Thai attitudes here. 

I'd really like to hear your opinions and get some feedback from you on this topic:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=27455&hl=

[TizMe]

NineMSN News

Male circumcision could fight AIDS

07:49 AEDT Tue Feb 15 2005

An Australian HIV/AIDS expert says male circumcision is being ignored as a method of preventing infection with the deadly virus.

Professor Roger Short of Melbourne University said there was plenty of evidence to suggest male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV.

"But in countries where AIDS is killing three million people a year, the practice is being ignored which is partly due to the trend against circumcision in the Western world, the lack of research and the fact that we are not getting the message across," he said.

"At this point circumcision is the single most effective protection against HIV infection that we know of and it has huge implications for how we can prevent the disease all over the world."

Prof Short, who is giving the keynote address at the annual conference of the Urological Society of Australasia on Tuesday, said circumcision removed the inner foreskin which was the main site for HIV to enter the penis.

Research had shown more than 50 per cent of HIV infections were due to lack of circumcision, he said.

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Professor Short said five million people a year were now being infected with HIV/AIDS and it was possible there could be a billion cases before 2050.

"We need to heed the words of Nelson Mandela and translate our scientific thoughts into action before it is too late," he said.

[chaladmak]

celibacy also helps !

[Ijustwannateach]

Can we please see some Western diplomatic objection to the whole "Western culture is causing AIDS to spread in Thailand" BS? The fact is, young Thais are horny and sexually active, now as they have been for many hundreds of years. Let's see some statistics on the number of children born less than 9 months after the wedding here, before this so-called "Western influence." Humbug.

"Steven"

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Sexually promiscuous Thai teenies -

- so unlike the adults, who are behaving with such chastity.

Wonder where they get it from?

[yuyi]

Male circumcision could fight AIDS

Don't be so shy, cut the whole thing off -> problem solved :D

An Australian HIV/AIDS expert says male circumcision is being ignored as a method of preventing infection with the deadly virus.

Professor Roger Short of Melbourne University said there was plenty of evidence to suggest male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV.

...

"At this point circumcision is the single most effective protection against HIV infection that we know of and it has huge implications for how we can prevent the disease all over the world."

Research had shown more than 50 per cent of HIV infections were due to lack of circumcision, he said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which research? Which evidence? I'm following the research here for a long time, desperately looking for scientific research proving anything here. I do not even find studies proving the exact way of infection, so where does this guy find his evidence?

I'm not aware of any study comparing the infection rate of uninfected men, a group of them circumcised, another group not, all having traditional sex (not anal or oral, of course) with a group of women, from which a part is HIV positive, and a part not. The usual double blind procedure. Hmmm, difficult to imagine that he finds volunteers for such a study. In other words, Prof. Short is probably short of volunteers

[San_Belgium]

"...At this point circumcision is the single most effective protection against HIV infection that we know of..."

I think it is proven that condom use is the single most effective protection against HIV (apart from not having sex).

I know that circumcision is normal practise in the US, Australia, among Jews and Muslims, but in Europe it is not standard practise. There are also reasons to oppose cirumcision.

However, it might be true that a circumcised man has less chance to get HIV because the contact surface of skin by which the virus can enter is smaller, but it is "russian roulette" to rely on this.

Condoms, if used correctly, stop the HIV virus from being transmitted. That is a fact.

The thai youngsters can have sex with many different partners, be sexually promiscuous all the time (the morality of this is another issue), and NOT get HIV, IF they would protect themselves using condoms when having sex.

Promoting condom use and informing the public has held Thailand from an HIV epidemic in the 1990's. Thailand was praised all over the world for this achievement back then.

I think the "thai teens" in the 1990s were sexually promiscuous too, but then they knew more about the dangers and used more condoms.

Protection is available, and proven to work. But if nobody uses it, the diseas will spread fast.

[The_Eye_Of_Sauron]

Sex is a beautiful thing. It is Gods gift.

We should have as much as possible. Babies are a blessing on the Household.

The great and magnificently ironic thing about sex is that even the underprivileged and poor can do it. Rich folk all obsess about how little they are getting, whilst all the paupers are rutting like hyenas, under bridges, on the banks of klongs. They love shagging !

[yuyi]

I think it is proven that condom use is the single most effective protection against HIV (apart from not having sex).

...

Condoms, if used correctly, stop the HIV virus from being transmitted. That is a fact.

Is it a fact? Again, I had been and I am still searching for scientific evidence for this. It sounds logic, but with the size of a retrovirus such as the assumed size of the HIV virus being much smaller than the natural holes in the condom, it might also be that this virus can pass through a condom. I would definitely not rely on a condom to be a 100% protection.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying not to use condoms. A condom is a very good protection for almost all STDs. Not using it is very stupid.

The first study which was used as possible evidence that there is a transmission of HIV from prostitutes to their clients (made in Thailand with young soldiers) has almost all of the HIV positiv soldiers admitting that they visited prostitutes, but at the same time saying that they used condoms.

Promoting condom use and informing the public has held Thailand from an HIV epidemic in the 1990's. Thailand was praised all over the world for this achievement back then.

It could be that, but it could very well be also that the people had been more careful with selecting their partners, after being alerted by the condom and HIV promotion campaigns.

Or it could simply be that the computer models used to calculate the spread of the infections had been not correct.

In Africa a similar thing happened, the infection did not spread as quickly as calculated, far from that, and there was no such condom promotion campaign. It could very well be that the calculations are wrong. Of course they are always good for a headline, as usual

[Digger]

Male circumcision could fight AIDS

Don't be so shy, cut the whole thing off -> problem solved :D

An Australian HIV/AIDS expert says male circumcision is being ignored as a method of preventing infection with the deadly virus.

Professor Roger Short of Melbourne University said there was plenty of evidence to suggest male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV.

...

"At this point circumcision is the single most effective protection against HIV infection that we know of and it has huge implications for how we can prevent the disease all over the world."

Research had shown more than 50 per cent of HIV infections were due to lack of circumcision, he said.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Which research? Which evidence? I'm following the research here for a long time, desperately looking for scientific research proving anything here. I do not even find studies proving the exact way of infection, so where does this guy find his evidence?

I'm not aware of any study comparing the infection rate of uninfected men, a group of them circumcised, another group not, all having traditional sex (not anal or oral, of course) with a group of women, from which a part is HIV positive, and a part not. The usual double blind procedure. Hmmm, difficult to imagine that he finds volunteers for such a study. In other words, Prof. Short is probably short of volunteers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you look in the heath forum under title: How bad is AIDS in Thailand I posted a link to a report which proved transmission rates are far lower in circumcised men than those who are not circumcised. The report is pretty old but facts speak for themselves.

[CDB]

She attributed the spread of AIDS among young people to the influx of western cultures.

I'm not sure if this is a cop-out or just ignorance. To the average Thai, they see promsicuity portrayed positively in Western media and it's hardly surprising that they relate one with the other.

I often have this discussion with Thais. I point out that in all the Western cultures which accept pre-marital sex as normal and virginity as less relevant, in the past they were equally as "moral" as traditional Thai values. What happened then? Did these cultures "degenerate" because of some race/culture issue?

No, it was the economic liberation of women that was the root of the change. When a women's status and wellbeing is linked only to that of her family and male partner, it extremely restricts how she can act sexually. Once a society reaches a point in its evolution where women can expect to be financially independent, those women will not accept the traditional "rules". The execption is when relgious beliefs are so strong that this urge for freedom can be held in check.

Buddhism does not have terrible strictures against sex, premarital or paid. If anything it promotes moderation not abstainance.

So the core reason for young Thai women acting differently to the traditional ways of their mothers is far more likely to be associated with the fact that Thai society is more developed and women can have more independence. It's really the women's attitude that is important. After all, in the "traditional" Thailand, men typically took every chance they had for sex -- so what's changed?

I'm sure Western media plays an influential but secondary role.

The problem is that the genie cannot be put back into the bottle. It's nearly impossible to to "educate" young women into remaining virgins once the trend has started. (In the States such campaigns have had limited success only in areas that have strong christian faiths/values).

Currently the Thai older generation and those in power are fanatically trying to force the old values on the new. A leading politician admitted that the main purpose of enforcing the over 20 rule in nightclubs was to protect the virginity of young women. Before Thailand can address the real issues of tennage sexuality it needs to stop thinking that such sex is "evil" and that it comes from Western values.

[aaaaaa]

Currently the Thai older generation and those in power are fanatically trying to force the old values on the new.

it is not a question of "forcing values" - or at least not the only or main one. although value do matter too.

according to statistics - 5 babies get abandoned in Thailand DAILY - because mother is too youg, irresponsible, finacnially uncapable to take care of newborn. and government is naturally concerned about upbringing of these orphaned children - because it is costly for country's economy. on TV regulalry they show cases of arrest of such and such girl - who went into toilet in some mal to "deliver" and then damp child into garbage bin. many similar cases. somehow on this Forum I don't recall any such news clippings - may be perhaps news in English avoid such subjects to kee face / image of THailand or whatever other reason. but definetely it is a big issue - including the HIV/ AIDS matter.

you might be right about that to blame Western influence won't help much - but so goes for advocating pre-marital sex. there are facts about less developed countries desperate attempts to control population - India and China, 2 giants in the world. in India during Indira Gandhi's rule there were even such extremes as compulsory sterilazation of male, even some "sadhus" (monastic order in Hinduism) were forced to that if found or suspected in illicit affairs with women (last week on Thai TV news there was similar report of monk); and in China - not more than 1 child per couple law....

in the West such problem as over population normally simply doesn't exists - especially per territory. for example - just only Thailand (63.5 mln) has population bigger than Australia (20.2 mln) and NZ (4 mln) together almost trice, and bigger than UK (59.6 mln) France (60.4 mln) too - same goes for Spain, Italy...

few other :

Bangladesh is 149.7 mln ppl - one of the smallest countries has population bigger than Russian Federation, which is biggest in the world (142.4 mln, UN, 2004 - after fall-out from USSR) or next big by size Canada (31.7 mln); well Brazil (180.6 mln) beats it.

Indonesia - 222.6 mln - compare to USA (294 mln)

Pakistan is 157 mln,

Nepal 25 mln

Malaysia 24.9 mln

Philippines 81.4 mln

Cambodia 14.5 mln

Sri Lanka 19.2

and definetely economies of most of mentioned Western countries in much better shapes.

so, surely and naturally Thai government and many other Asian countries should be and would be concerned about such an issue. they simply can't afford to take care of all orpahns, STD / HIV infected, single mothers etc etc

[yuyi]

If you look in the heath forum under title: How bad is AIDS in Thailand I posted a link to a report which proved transmission rates are far lower in circumcised men than those who are not circumcised.  The report is pretty old but facts speak for themselves.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i looked it up. Hmmm. It seems to have been a big effort. I wonder why then some important issues are not mentioned.

The number of not circumcised men is quite small. I think too small to get a statistical average. It would have been better to get a 50% / 50 % situation, and not the majority (87%) circumcised. Especially with this small number of not circumcised men it is important that there are no other influences "polluting" the study.

- Why did they not ask and check for drug use?

- Why did they not ask for homosexual activities, or at least for anal sex?

- Why do they not mention if there is a difference in the behavior of the infected men, do they show the same averages for having sex with wife / casual partner / prostitutes.

They just assumed that an average percentage of the wifes would be infected. They could have tested them. Again the small number of not circumcised men in this study would have made it better to assure that there is no non-average percentage of their wifes infected.

This is especially important considering that the circumcised men had been (almost all) moslems, and it is no secret how their wifes get cut off from the world. It could very well be possible that these women are not infected, unless infected by their husbands, which was not the case in this study (the man had been tested negative at the beginning).

It is so easy to come to the wrong conclusions, especially if we want to see a certain result. That's why usually there should be a double-blind study. This definitely was not a typical double blind study, it was more blind than that Too many unknowns.

Not excluding drug use does even make a conclusion that the men had been infected by their wifes etc. impossible.

BTW, I didn't see you mention it there, but "patai". You said you mentioned it.

Patai = digger ?

[Digger]

If you look in the heath forum under title: How bad is AIDS in Thailand I posted a link to a report which proved transmission rates are far lower in circumcised men than those who are not circumcised.   The report is pretty old but facts speak for themselves.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i looked it up. Hmmm. It seems to have been a big effort. I wonder why then some important issues are not mentioned.

BTW, I didn't see you mention it there, but "patai". You said you mentioned it.

Patai = digger ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I posted the link in reply no: 53, Pautai then must have read it and cut and pasted the article into the thread. I didn't because we were discussing rates of prevalence (where they established prevalence is higher than previously thought) rather than specifically in circumcised and uncircumcised men, which is what the study was for.

So Digger is not Pautai

[San_Belgium]

I think it is proven that condom use is the single most effective protection against HIV (apart from not having sex).

...

Condoms, if used correctly, stop the HIV virus from being transmitted. That is a fact.

Is it a fact? Again, I had been and I am still searching for scientific evidence for this. It sounds logic, but with the size of a retrovirus such as the assumed size of the HIV virus being much smaller than the natural holes in the condom, it might also be that this virus can pass through a condom. I would definitely not rely on a condom to be a 100% protection.

Condoms are impermable. Yes this is proven. And agreed by scientists around the world.

(If the aids virus could pass through condoms, most hiv- partners having sex with condoms with their hiv+ partner would eventually become be infected, which is not the case).

The piece of misinformation about the size of the virus being so small it can pass through condoms, known as the "vatican condom row", was spread by the vatican in 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3176982.stm

The catholics cardinals have been trying for years to discourage condoms use since they think it is in breach with the bible.

100% protection does not exist. However, when used properly, I think it will not be far from 100%.

The first study which was used as possible evidence that there is a transmission of HIV from prostitutes to their clients (made in Thailand with young soldiers) has almost all of the HIV positiv soldiers admitting that they visited prostitutes, but at the same time saying that they used condoms.

Science and practise on one end, Thai soldiers their declarations on the other end.

Their declarations they always used condoms cannot be verified. The scientific evidence however can be verified.

And it is not hard to imagine soldiers who don't want to lose (more) face would dare to lie about this.

Saying they did not use condoms would shift the blame on themselves entirely.

Promoting condom use and informing the public has held Thailand from an HIV epidemic in the 1990's. Thailand was praised all over the world for this achievement back then.

It could be that, but it could very well be also that the people had been more careful with selecting their partners, after being alerted by the condom and HIV promotion campaigns.

Yes, in either case, campaigns to inform and make people aware are the way forward.

Or it could simply be that the computer models used to calculate the spread of the infections had been not correct.

In Africa a similar thing happened, the infection did not spread as quickly as calculated, far from that, and there was no such condom promotion campaign. It could very well be that the calculations are wrong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There is a discussion about the overstatement of african hiv cases. WHO said 34 milion, some groups contest and say no more than 22 milion. Anyway there is a big aids problem in sub-saharan Africa. In Zimbabwe for instance, life expectancy in 2000 was only 33 years. Before the HIV epidemic it was 61 years. Although there is discussion about the exact numbers, it is safe to say a large percentage of the population is HIV+. And you are right to say there were no large campains for condom use or information on HIV in the sub-saharan countries.

Lets hope the thai governement will launch another campaign like they did in the 90's

[aaaaaa]

Get a clue !

'Animal clue' to teen pregnancies

Monday, 21 February, 2005, 01:56 GMT

By Michelle Roberts

BBC News health reporter, Washington DC

... teenage girls who grow up without a father at home reach puberty earlier and are more drawn maternally to pictures of infants, it found.

Such factors should be considered along with more obvious socioeconomic causes, says Professor Dario Maestripieri.

....Those females who were exposed to harsh and unpredictable maternal care in infancy showed earlier interest in infants as well as higher stress hormones during development.

"Early stress can accelerate the development of maternal responsiveness in both humans and monkeys."