20,000 Thai Civil Servants Carry Aids Virus

[webfact]

WORLD AIDS DAY

Thousands of civil servants carry Aids virus

By The Nation

At least 20,000 civil servants including health officials across the country are living with HIV/Aids, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Dr Somyot Kittimunkong, director of the Aids division at the Disease Control Department, said yesterday that some 20,000 bureaucrats each year seek reimbursement for the cost of antiretroviral medicine at the healthcare unit.

They include health officials, as they were infected via needles used by their families, he said. The real figure would be up to 60,000 civil servants with HIV, he said.

Thailand has about 520,000 people living with HIV, and this year has seen 10,853 new infections among adults and children.

Gay men remain the highest risk group, followed by spouses of HIV carriers. To prevent the spread of the disease, people who have practised unsafe sex during the past 10 years should voluntary take a HIV blood test, he said.

The National Health Security Office offers HIV blood tests for free. About 250,000 people have used the service, and 7 per cent of them were found with HIV.

Each day, up to 35 people come down with HIV on average and Aids now accounts for onethird of deaths among youths.

"Our campaign will seek to reduce the number of new infections," said Prof Chuanchom Sakondhavat, director of Khon Kaen University's Aids Institute.

She was speaking at an event held to mark World Aids Day, which falls on December 1 every year.

About 14,000 people in the country caught HIV in 2006, so her institute drew up a fouryear strategy to try to cut new cases to just 7,000 a year by next year.

Last year the number of newly infected people soared past 10,000.

"Most new infections are detected among people aged between 19 and 29," the doctor said. "Youths now have sex at a younger age and many of them often change sexual partners."

It was high time that educational institutions taught youngsters about sex and selfprotection against the deadly disease.

When Aids causes untimely deaths among young people, the economy also suffers.

The spread of Aids among alien workers, who have limited access to information and treatment, was another concern, she added.

-- The Nation 2010-12-02

[Thaddeus]

It was high time that educational institutions taught youngsters about sex and selfprotection against the deadly disease.

Well, do it then, just banging gums about it achieves nothing.

[benw10]

"They include health officials, as they were infected via needles used by their families,"

what a load of.....................

sounds like a lot of people have found a new way to abuse the system similar to all those who faked hiv results in the uk to get housing in the early 90's.

[cup-O-coffee]

If this were a report about the events transpiring around the Titanic, when it was going down, then the claims in this report would point in a more clear direction of where this country is headed.

Unfortunately, there aren't any more ships to climb aboard because no one is listening to the "Mayday" calls, or they are too far removed from this situation to be of any assistance.

I am confused about the last sentence:

"The spread of Aids among alien workers, who have limited access to information and treatment, was another concern, she added."

Aliens Are Stupid People!

Why is it I get the impression that some of these comments by the reporter or the person being interviewed or quoted read like some "sexual facts" brochure? Either the reporter thinks the reader is stupid, or the reporter is stupid, and really thinks this is good stuff, and adds it to the article. "Youths now have sex at a younger age and many of them often change sexual partners." Hmmm. I would never have known this. Go figure!

I wonder if poor Joy can also file for reimbursement of all the money she spends every year on her HIV drugs?

[maxtingtong]

what about give the hint to isaan about the invention of condoms and its correct use? In the rural areas them don't know even what is it, and are almost impossible to find. Anyway that load of infected people isn't for sure in this statistics

[brahmburgers]

Not long ago, we heard news of Thai civil servants being in debt an average of 2 million baht each. Now this. Doesn't bode well for their reputation.

and the quote, "...They include health officials, as they were infected via needles used by their families,..."

Where in Bongobongothani did that come from? Do families share tainted needles? Where, at the dinner table? ...not any family I want to join. Maybe something was lost in translation.

[TAWP]

The title is incorrect, they carry HIV. Some might have entered the stage of Aids. There is no such thing as an Aids virus.

[Bagwan]

There goes my fantasy of having it away with a Government official while she is wearing her uniform.  

[hughben]

The title is incorrect, they carry HIV. Some might have entered the stage of Aids. There is no such thing as an Aids virus.

Spot on. The amount of people in the 'west' who think you can infect people with AIDS if you have it or are HIV + is embarrassing.

And remember the tabloid favourite 'full blown AIDS' (as opposed to 'AIDS')?

[RaoulDuke]

To prevent the spread of the disease, people who have practised unsafe sex during the past 10 years should voluntary take a HIV blood test, he said.[/quote]

Its drivel like this which keeps the spread of HIV so high. Everyone who has had any sex, with anyone, should get tested. All sex is unsafe, condoms fail, and spouses cheat. And anyone who has been hospitalized, had their blood taken, or had any exposure to any needle should also get tested. Pretty much any adult and sexually active child/teen should get tested, at least once a year, whenever they do anything that could expose them. So many people are ignorant to the risks, so they feel they are immune. Many heterosexuals still view it as a 'gay disease'. The reality is that gays are more likely to get it because they sleep around with a lot more partners, and are more likely to engage in risky behavior due to drugs/alcohol, not because they are gay. But it only takes one time or one needle to get it.

Edited December 2, 2010 by RaoulDuke

[Thaddeus]

The reality is that gays are more likely to get it because they sleep around with a lot more partners, and are more likely to engage in risky behavior due to drugs/alcohol, not because they are gay. But it only takes one time or one needle to get it.

Whoa.... just hold on a second there..... I'm not gay myself, but I can recognise homophobia when I see it.

[cup-O-coffee]

The reality is that gays are more likely to get it because they sleep around with a lot more partners, and are more likely to engage in risky behavior due to drugs/alcohol, not because they are gay. But it only takes one time or one needle to get it.

Whoa.... just hold on a second there..... I'm not gay myself, but I can recognise homophobia when I see it.

The article states, "Gay men remain the highest risk group, followed by spouses of HIV carriers."

RaoulDuke only reiterated that statement, and added a plausible reason why that statistic might be a fact. I do not see anything vicious in that comment. Why is that homophobic? I, too, fear AIDS and HIV. Why should anyone be labeled a homophobic for reasonably questioning a high risk group that happens to fall under this category? I did not make this statistic; the in-patient list at all the medical clinics and hospitals of the world made this statistic, as well as people's own admission when they admitted themselves.

Why should we be labeled as homophobic for commenting politely on something that is a matter of public record, and repeated daily, and points out an alarming fact about a killer disease? And why do you not label this article as being homophobic? What sort of approval does one need to have in order to be able to examine issues that might make some people feel uncomfortable, or that they are being attacked, and might fear losing something.

Regarding HIV and AIDS, I have always wondered what homosapiens has done in the last 30 years that it didn't do in the last 400,000, that would bring about this so-called "naturally-caused" disease. I can not imagine that there would be any act that homosapiens could overlook that was suddenly performed in the last 30 years.

Every other disease throughout history has repeated itself. And now there is suddenly a new one; but only that, and never in the past, and homosapiens has not acted any differently in 400,000 years. What are the odds of that?

Science has discovered just about every disease, throughout history that has culled our species; identified it, and logged it in their books. Many of these diseases can be attributed to the behavior or hygiene of homosapiens. Through education and behavior change, these diseases are no longer a danger to spread. Haiti is an example of a slip in behavior, but it shouldn't be long before that is contained.

And then suddenly, in the last 30 years this! It seems a bit odd doesn't it? And to blame it mostly on homosexuals seems a bit peculiar as well. I guess there must not have been homosexuality 400,000 years ago, or something is pretty fishy in Denmark. Unlike other diseases, and the human behavioral changes that were essential to creating a cure, this seems to be the only disease where one singular identifiable behavior that causes the spread of the disease is a subject that absolutely can not be openly discussed. It is ok to attribute the spread to needles, blood transfusions, and whatever else; but not that one thing that is the highest risk of the spread. How can this be possible? Don't people want to make the spreading stop, and wouldn't going after the higher risk groups be the logical course of action? Education, safe practice, and if it doesn't stop then get a bit more drastic? But this is all theory if one believes that AIDS and HIV are naturally produced.

Another thing. If HIV and AIDS is so bad, then why aren't all the countries of the world on high alert? Why isn't the W.H.O. working in a joint effort with the militia of every country to quarantine infected people? Wouldn't the lives claimed and the rapid spread of this disease place it under the category of worldwide pandemic?

Why the causal approach? Why the tolerant attitude towards this?

History has shown me that governments only show concern about things that they can not control, and act only upon things that are a clear threat. If the government feels it is in control, then there is no emergency, regardless of the cries of the masses. Go figure on this one!

Yes, HIV and AIDS is a very clear threat to the world (according to statistics) but there are still many many questions that need to be answered before a cure will be found (or released). Censuring which questions can or can not be asked will increase the body count to those who need the cure the most. Isn't that ironic?

[Thaddeus]

The article states, "Gay men remain the highest risk group, followed by spouses of HIV carriers."

RaoulDuke only reiterated that statement, and added a plausible reason why that statistic might be a fact. I do not see anything vicious in that comment.

Well I did, sorry to disagree with you, the bit I found a little objectionable was.

"gays are more likely to get it because they sleep around with a lot more partners, and are more likely to engage in risky behavior due to drugs/alcohol"

That is like many comments on TV, just speculation and sort of infers that, gay men in particular, can't be, for want of a better phrase, nice gays.

[bangon04]

"At least 20,000 civil servants including health officials across the country are living with HIV/Aids, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Dr Somyot Kittimunkong, director of the Aids division at the Disease Control Department, said yesterday that some 20,000 bureaucrats each year seek reimbursement for the cost of antiretroviral medicine at the healthcare unit.

They include health officials, as they were infected via needles used by their families, he said. The real figure would be up to 60,000 civil servants with HIV, he said."

A few things leap off the page:

1) Health officials are apparently not aware that sharing needles with their families is potentially unhealthy????

2) As a rule of thumb we should multiply all government statistics by 3 to arrive at the "real figure".

[LaoPo]

Khun Mechai Viravaidya or better know as MR. CONDOM....

"......has been fighting poverty and disease in Southeast Asia through innovative promotions of safe sex practices. In this TED talk, he gives an amusing overview of how Thailand went from seven children per family to 1.5 in less than four decades and a 90 percent reduction in HIV infection rates from 1991 to 2003."

Safe Sex, Thailand and Mr. Condom:

http://getbetterheal...ndom/2010.10.08

Including Video: click to play....

NOTE: it isn't always negative if articles are published about AIDS, SEX and Thailand; a lot has been done and improved for the better, not worse.

LaoPo

Edited December 3, 2010 by LaoPo

[cup-O-coffee]

The article states, "Gay men remain the highest risk group, followed by spouses of HIV carriers."

RaoulDuke only reiterated that statement, and added a plausible reason why that statistic might be a fact. I do not see anything vicious in that comment.

Well I did, sorry to disagree with you, the bit I found a little objectionable was.

"gays are more likely to get it because they sleep around with a lot more partners, and are more likely to engage in risky behavior due to drugs/alcohol"

That is like many comments on TV, just speculation and sort of infers that, gay men in particular, can't be, for want of a better phrase, nice gays.

Yes! I am inclined to agree with you. I looked through many gay organization websites, and did not find yet any reference to "sleep around". The other references I found frequently. So, the "sleep around" comment I would see as offensive to the more sensitive gay person, or gay proponent.

However; instead of attacking people that you need approval from, in order to gain credibility and strength through numbers, wouldn't it be fair to request that most gay people demonstrate a kindness and patience towards the less informed and fearful, and say something like...

"RaoulDuke, I do not appreciate your use of the term "sleeping around". Perhaps you would consider using the term "having contact with" the next time you describe gay men. The term "sleeping around is offensive, and it is not fair when considered with the other groups of people out there, who are just as risky in their behavior and approach to safe sex. Thank you"

I believe an approach like that would win more heterosexual people to the gay way of thinking, instead of, "I can recognise homophobia when I see it." It really makes one set their self up to be a target for ridicule and make people back away from, like a car with an overly sensitive alarm system. People get tired of hearing the same dam_n whine when they slip up, because they simply do not understand. Its your job to be nice first, and then explain when they are ready to listen. That means you may have to refrain a little bit before diving deep.:jap:

Regarding the article; it reeks of Thai stupidity at trying to get away with something. The writing between the lines reminds me of a Thai Civil Servant standing in a ballroom with a roll of toilet paper trailing from his pants to the restroom door. It is simply too stupid that anyone but a 9 year old could write this article.

"What's for dinner mom?

Well, son, you father is bringing home your favorite; heroin à la mode!

And, we're going to have to use last night's needles because your uncle

forgot to bring new ones from the health clinic that he manages.

Aw shucks; not again!"

[Thaddeus]

Point taken.

[TAWP]

Note to self: Don't share needles with the staff on my next visit to a government office.

[NanLaew]

20,000 Thai Civil Servants... are, at any one time, inside a fleet of air-conditioned buses in the overtaking lane while being escorted by police cars with lights and sirens on.

Now THAT is a fact!!