Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Cases On The Rise In Thailand

[webfact]

STD cases on the rise

By The Nation

In the past five years, the number of patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has nearly doubled, with 23,622 cases being recorded in 2009 alone - a number that does not include those who sought overthecounter medication or treatment at private hospitals, the Public Health Ministry revealed yesterday. Most of the patients, aged between 15 and 24, got the disease from unprotected sex and onenight stands.

At an antiSTD campaign launched at the MBK shopping mall yesterday to mark Valentine's Day, Deputy Health Minister Pansiri Kullanatsiri said gonorrhoea was most prevalent with 7,188 cases, followed by pseudogonorrhoea and syphilis. A study in 2009 showed that many youngsters lost their virginity at the age of 13, and only 51 per cent used condoms during their first sexual encounter.

Therefore, the ministry is planning to launch a campaign to educate the public about STDs, promote the use of condoms and set up more youth centres this year to provide sex education, family planning and information about preventing STDs. The ministry will also distribute 19.2 million condoms free, via health stations nationwide.

The rising number of STD cases has also prompted concerns about more people getting HIV/Aids. As of December 31, Thailand had 372,202 people living with HIV/Aids; 98,589 have died.

-- The Nation 2011-02-15

[Tokay]

Bookmark this post for when the reports start coming out of the new HIV explosion in Thailand.

Africa has the most total cases of HIV / AIDS in the world.

+

India has the most cases of new HIV infections.

+

Many Thai prostitutes will often provide without a condom.

+

Sex tourists from both of those countries with alarming HIV are now coming to Thailand in large numbers.

= Upcoming HIV epidemic that will rival or exceed the last HIV crises here.

[swifty5x5]

Didn't I just read about taking condom machines out of schools? Now they say that STD's are on the rise because of people not using condoms. What's going on?

[geriatrickid]

*Thud* That's the collective sound of the Medical officers banging their heads on their desks. The folks in the public health department have been warning about this for close to 3 years. Ever since Phuket became the hub of HIV in Thailand in 2009. Tthe warnings have been given. Here's a flashback to when the first major warnings were raised and I mentioned in TVF;

Posted 2008-11-21 10:19:12

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.

It's now 2011 and what has Mr. Abhisit's government done? Where's the funding for the ministries of health and education to fund the prevention programs?

I'm not picking on him as the military junta that came before him and even Mr. Thaksin who preceded them have nothing to be proud of either.

For the young, the poor and the rural population, Access to testing and treatment facilities has been reduced. I won't even mention the infection rates being circulated about workers in the sex industry.

Public health officials raised the alarm last year about access to care in rural areas. There is no excuse for syphilis to be on the rise. This is a disease that is preventable, but it requires a commitment from the government to stop. It's a reportable disease, but by the time its reported in a rural area months may have passed and the carrier has infected others. What happened to the bar workers screening program? When is the last time the pink books were checked?

One would think that the officials with investments in the bars and the karaokes renting out the boys and girls, would be worried about protecting their investments. if the numbers ever become as public as they were back in the early 90's, the bars are going to be dead just like they were when HIV was on the loose in Thailand. Someone needs to remind Mr. Abhisit that charitable groups like the Clinton Foundation and the Gates Foundation all required government cooperation as part of the grant process. What's next, promoting Thailand as a Hub of sexually transmitted illnesses instead of honouring the promises that were made?

Edited February 15, 2011 by geriatrickid

[animatic]

A + B does not equal C

Removing condoms from access of the young does not mean more STD,

It means a HUGE increase in STDs far faster than imagined.

Removing condoms from access of the young means their young kids won't think about having sex... or going on the game for a night or two to get a new phone.

This is irony above, and illustrating the point :

Cause and affect are not properly understood here.

As with the religious right in USA, 'abstinence groups' instead of actual transmission prevention education has never worked and never will work

Removing the knowledge and tools for prevention

HAS NEVER AND NEVER WILL WORK.

Wishful thinking based on philosophies vs actual medical application...

Which do you think actually works?

Edited February 15, 2011 by animatic

[rikwildknight]

And then we have the story about condom machines being removed from schools because 'parents' don't like them. LOL what a F*cked up country this is!

[jonclark]

Didn't I just read about taking condom machines out of schools? Now they say that STD's are on the rise because of people not using condoms. What's going on?

How dare you insult our youth!! Our young teens would never dream of having sex before marriage. Not one of them had sex last night on Valentines eve!! They are righteous, and morally incorruptible. The condom machines are the work of the devil. Only foreigners bring STDs to Thailand. They are evil and should be made to pay for all treatment costs for Thai people as they gave all STDs to Thai people. A new tax should be added at the airport. The STD tax which all foreigners must pay before being allowed entry to this pure land.

[jaltsc]

"Therefore, the ministry is planning to launch a campaign to educate the public about STDs, promote the use of condoms and set up more youth centres this year to provide sex education, family planning and information about preventing STDs. The ministry will also distribute 19.2 million condoms free, via health stations nationwide."

The places where the public won't be educated about STDs are in the institutions of learning, where condom machines have been removed since they are the cause of promiscuity. Considering the state of the educational system and the brilliant move to remove condom machines from schools, this gives a new meaning to the term "Dumb F***ers".

[Berkshire]

"The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative aspect of matrimony) and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of life (n. 24)."

Pope John Paul II

[geriatrickid]

"The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative aspect of matrimony) and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of life (n. 24)."

Pope John Paul II

Thank you, but in case you missed it, the Roman Catholic faith is not the state religion of Thailand, nor does the Pope and his church have much influence in a Buddhist country.

[Tokay]

Wasn't there just a story a couple of weeks ago about students using plastic bags as condoms?

[Nisa]

Wasn't there just a story a couple of weeks ago about students using plastic bags as condoms?

I assume they are using the ones you get from the street hot dog vendors and not the ones they get at 711.

[kevinsan]

You want to read something really scary? The CDC is expecting Cephalosporin Antibiotic resistant gonorrhea to hit the US shores by 2012. It may be lurking in your backyard right now. Ceph-R is on its way and ready to party!

Yeah it probably against the rules to post a link, but this is from the US CDC:

cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/arg/CephOutbreakResponsePlan.pdf

Live with it. For life. Enjoy.

[ginjag]

*Thud* That's the collective sound of the Medical officers banging their heads on their desks. The folks in the public health department have been warning about this for close to 3 years. Ever since Phuket became the hub of HIV in Thailand in 2009. Tthe warnings have been given. Here's a flashback to when the first major warnings were raised and I mentioned in TVF;

Posted 2008-11-21 10:19:12

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.

It's now 2011 and what has Mr. Abhisit's government done? Where's the funding for the ministries of health and education to fund the prevention programs?

I'm not picking on him as the military junta that came before him and even Mr. Thaksin who preceded them have nothing to be proud of either.

For the young, the poor and the rural population, Access to testing and treatment facilities has been reduced. I won't even mention the infection rates being circulated about workers in the sex industry.

Public health officials raised the alarm last year about access to care in rural areas. There is no excuse for syphilis to be on the rise. This is a disease that is preventable, but it requires a commitment from the government to stop. It's a reportable disease, but by the time its reported in a rural area months may have passed and the carrier has infected others. What happened to the bar workers screening program? When is the last time the pink books were checked?

One would think that the officials with investments in the bars and the karaokes renting out the boys and girls, would be worried about protecting their investments. if the numbers ever become as public as they were back in the early 90's, the bars are going to be dead just like they were when HIV was on the loose in Thailand. Someone needs to remind Mr. Abhisit that charitable groups like the Clinton Foundation and the Gates Foundation all required government cooperation as part of the grant process. What's next, promoting Thailand as a Hub of sexually transmitted illnesses instead of honouring the promises that were made?

Funding is there, but as seems to be the norm, much is creamed off before it can be given to the needy causes. Admin chiefs in our area are a dab hand on monies going to the bottomless pit. Corrupt staff are getting bigger houses and better cars. These selfish employees--these latest figures--removing condom machines, sorry again, the thinking in many areas is BACKWARD to say the least.

[petertucker48]

Wasn't there just a story a couple of weeks ago about students using plastic bags as condoms?

I assume they are using the ones you get from the street hot dog vendors and not the ones they get at 711.

Always use Tesco's bags as there are recyclable !! save the planet !!!!!http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif

[exbelg]

did we not get a post yesterday that parents in schools made sure condom vending machines were banned... doh...

why not just end prostitution in hellholes like pattaya / phuket and bangkok ??? it is illegal, is it not ?

but i guess it greases a lot of wheels and hands

[doggie888888]

And then we have the story about condom machines being removed from schools because 'parents' don't like them. LOL what a F*cked up country this is!

About as f*cked up as most countries in the first world. Some parents/schools/authorities there feel that providing condoms will to lead to "moral degradation".

[sydneyjed]

A program last week highlighted this very problem and revealed that cases are already emerging in India of 'Antibiotic resistance' due to over prescribing/use of antibiotics by doctors for many medical problems...Scarey as if predictions are correct this may end up having serious repercussions on all of us in the years to come!!!

You want to read something really scary? The CDC is expecting Cephalosporin Antibiotic resistant gonorrhea to hit the US shores by 2012. It may be lurking in your backyard right now. Ceph-R is on its way and ready to party!

Yeah it probably against the rules to post a link, but this is from the US CDC:

cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/arg/CephOutbreakResponsePlan.pdf

Live with it. For life. Enjoy.

Edited February 15, 2011 by sydneyjed

[Thai at Heart]

A + B does not equal C

Removing condoms from access of the young does not mean more STD,

It means a HUGE increase in STDs far faster than imagined.

Removing condoms from access of the young means their young kids won't think about having sex... or going on the game for a night or two to get a new phone.

This is irony above, and illustrating the point :

Cause and affect are not properly understood here.

As with the religious right in USA, 'abstinence groups' instead of actual transmission prevention education has never worked and never will work

Removing the knowledge and tools for prevention

HAS NEVER AND NEVER WILL WORK.

Wishful thinking based on philosophies vs actual medical application...

Which do you think actually works?

Don't tell me that sometimes there is a problem with evaluating action, probability and relative consequence in this country.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Thai at Heart

[nikster]

YEah they need to have another large scale campaign... Thailand used to be very good about this, now they've been slacking for many, many years.

[w11guy]

And then we have the story about condom machines being removed from schools because 'parents' don't like them. LOL what a F*cked up country this is!

It's not just Thailand. This is true in many countries. I doubt there are any condom machines in UK schools. Parents would be protesting and the schools would have to take them away. It's not about Thailand, as you suggest.; it's about parents not realising that their children are growing up.

[julemanden]

Didn't I just read about taking condom machines out of schools? Now they say that STD's are on the rise because of people not using condoms. What's going on?

How dare you insult our youth!! Our young teens would never dream of having sex before marriage. Not one of them had sex last night on Valentines eve!! They are righteous, and morally incorruptible. The condom machines are the work of the devil. Only foreigners bring STDs to Thailand. They are evil and should be made to pay for all treatment costs for Thai people as they gave all STDs to Thai people. A new tax should be added at the airport. The STD tax which all foreigners must pay before being allowed entry to this pure land.

Good one !

[AZBill]

"The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative aspect of matrimony) and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of life (n. 24)."

Pope John Paul II

So what your saying is that the Catholic priests that routinely rape young boys and girls are not going to wear condoms! Leave your Puritanical ignorance in the West where it belongs! This is a Bhuddist country ! Your underlined comment just demonstrates the ignorance and intolerance of this corrupt church!

[newbie001]

I think that this is quite ironic. Just a few months ago it was reported that the new cases of HIV was down 1000 from last year. So it seems ironic that other STD's would be higher.

[Bakseedaa]

And then we have the story about condom machines being removed from schools because 'parents' don't like them. LOL what a F*cked up country this is!

The same problems are in every country where there are human beings... not only a Thai problem... more people are injured and killed on the roads.. life is dangerous,.......... if you do not like it... the choice is yours...!!!

[jfchandler]

The recent news report about removing condom machines from a couple public parks in the Bangkok area, and apparently some local schools, was a local BMA decision... It wasn't a national government policy decision affecting schools throughout the country...

That said, I have no idea whether the typical public schools upcountry have any condom machines on hand and available... I'd tend to doubt it... but maybe any of the teachers who are members here would know.

Suffice to say, it's pretty sad when the BMA says they're going to be removing condom machines from some parks and schools at the same time the national government is talking about promoting condom use and giving millions of condoms away for free... to whom, and where... I wonder?

For me, I'm thinking about starting a small business with the little wheeled vending carts to sell small, specially sized plastic bags outside of local high schools and colleges....maybe even have some different flavors...

[tigermonkey]

What is not mentioned in this news release is that the problem is not an internal Thai problem. The rise in STD's has risen step-in-step with the rise in tourism -- you only need compare the tourism figures from TIT, to the rise in STD infections, to prove this theorem.

The increase in sex tourism, particularly form African nations and India, where STD's are near epidemic, further exacerbates the problem.

I repeat -- this is not a problem which has arisen from teenage and other promiscuity within Thailand. It is purely a problem which has been created by farang and other tourists.

It is time that Thai Immigration did something about this escalating problem. Very soon they must implement a policy of STD medicals to qualify for all visas -- no medical proof that you are clean, then no entry into the Kingdom.

They can quickly create booming businesses at Ventianne and all other locations where visas are issued . Of course, some of the tests require a few weeks to receive the results, but I imagine that the local hotels will enjoy the extra income.

I can just see it now at the airports -- " you have a visa sir, but you have no STD certificate. Please go to Inspection Room D and wait for the Immigration Medical Officer"

Edited February 15, 2011 by tigermonkey

[MJP]

What is not mentioned in this news release is that the problem is not an internal Thai problem. The rise in STD's has risen step-in-step with the rise in tourism -- you only need compare the tourism figures from TIT, to the rise in STD infections, to prove this theorem.

The increase in sex tourism, particularly form African nations and India, where STD's are near epidemic, further exacerbates the problem.

I repeat -- this is not a problem which has arisen from teenage and other promiscuity within Thailand. It is purely a problem which has been created by farang and other tourists.

It is time that Thai Immigration did something about this escalating problem. Very soon they must implement a policy of STD medicals to qualify for all visas -- no medical proof that you are clean, then no entry into the Kingdom.

They can quickly create booming businesses at Ventianne and all other locations where visas are issued . Of course, some of the tests require a few weeks to receive the results, but I imagine that the local hotels will enjoy the extra income.

I can just see it now at the airports -- " you have a visa sir, but you have no STD certificate. Please go to Inspection Room D and wait for the Immigartion Medical Officer"

Agree on the origin of sex tourists and increased risk. But, according to the old woman the rise in HIV is most alarming in the 12-18 age group.

Blaming it on 'farang' is ridiculous. How about this country stops putting out? How about not being a 'hub' for the one thing it most certainly is a hub for?

Edited February 15, 2011 by MJP

[fenny99]

Bookmark this post for when the reports start coming out of the new HIV explosion in Thailand.

Africa has the most total cases of HIV / AIDS in the world.

+

India has the most cases of new HIV infections.

+

Many Thai prostitutes will often provide without a condom.

+

Sex tourists from both of those countries with alarming HIV are now coming to Thailand in large numbers.

= Upcoming HIV epidemic that will rival or exceed the last HIV crises here.

I agree 100% . I always wear my wellys , unless its the wife , but who,s to say shes faithfull. PRBLEMS AHEAD FOR THAILAND

[RedQualia]

Umm, 'scuse me, but what's the "pseudogonorrhoea"mentioned in the story?