Research shows more Thai teenagers infected with HIV

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Research shows more Thai teenagers infected with HIV
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, Aug 25 -- Research by UNICEF Thailand showed that the number of infected HIV patients in Thailand has risen among teenagers, especially those who are homosexual men, sex workers, and drug injectors.

UNICEF Thailand HIV/AIDS head, Robert Gass speaking about the study carried out to analyse the situation and factors affect HIV infection among Thai youth said the study was done on 2,000 youths of homosexual or transgender orientation, prostitutes, migrant labourers, and youths addicted to drugs through injection living in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Ubon Ratchathani provinces.

The study was done by Thammasat University with funding by UNICEF Thailand, through interviews and random sampling with pilot samples, aiming to learn about risk factors affecting youth, as well as revising policies and services given to the groups.

Mr Gass said the groups are most at risk of becoming infected with HIV and other Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STDs) because they lack skills and/or knowledge to prevent risks, and their high consumption of alcohol and drugs increases the risk factors.

Besides, he said, social media and easier access to social media sites via mobile phone applications has allowed the youths to easily meet each other and have casual sexual relations.

The study referred to the national statistics that 41 per cent of HIV cases in Thailand came from sex among homosexual men, which further indicated that their sexual relations begin at an earlier age than sex among heterosexuals. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-08-25

[Paulzed]

"Research shows more Thai teenagers infected with HIV"

Its sad and a shame that after how many years, we have been aware of HIV that these young kids are not educated and made to understand that if you don't practice safe sex you will have a very high chance of getting AIDS and HIV. Very sad.

[terryp]

i think its remarkable the numbers are so low

[kmj]

i think its remarkable the numbers are so low

What are the numbers? It doesn't say what percentage of the 2000 are infected.

[EricBerg]

In western countries HIV/Aids are on the rise as well. There a main reason is that the medicine-cocktails seem to be working well so the death threat is way less.

In Thailand it almost seems that authorities are either incapable or unwilling to set up good projects educating the youth about the risks and about prevention. Surely a few people were assigned setting this up. Can they be transferred to the department of inactive posts? And can the government then please appoint someone who later on has to answerfor his policy in the matter?

In all countries governments should love the children and try to educate and protect the youngsters. Broken tablets can not do the job!

Edited August 25, 2014 by EricBerg

[RedQualia]

Thanks for talking a bit about the study. Now, where is the study itself? Some of us might like to see the actual data.

[Paul888]

Another totally misleading sensationalist headline.

Key words missing from the headline "especially those who are homosexual men, sex workers, and drug injectors"........ i.e. high risk groups.

They clearly say "the study was done on 2,000 youths of homosexual or transgender orientation, prostitutes, migrant labourers, and youths addicted to drugs through injection living in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Ubon Ratchathani provinces".....

[bangrak]

The usual thick cloud of fog! OK, guys, numbers, please, split between homosexuals, transgenders, heterosexual men and ladies, under-split per region of origin, possibly age groups, known drug addicts and others! Do you have those figures? Or are you just spreding your blah-blah to justify the state credits you blow through the drain? When I see the mega expensive (stupid) organisation going around the lady bars country wide to have the girls go for one blood test in the month, while any gynecologist or urologist would tell you how many tens of persons an infected subject can contaminate before it appears in a blood sample... I had the opportunity to speak with an MD responsible for the monthly operation in a wide district, his answer cut my arms off: yes, I know about that, I just do my job you know, and we don't have clinical biology labs, also collecting samples could be a problem... OK, doc! Thai puppetry, lights and shades, here too, nothing clear and evident...

[umbanda]

HIV infection sources and treatment information is also a big mystery......Nobody really knows what is going on......specially people from upper classes... and from our own family and friends.....They always are diying from "cancer".....

[belg]

so unicef can find this out, but no problem for governemental agencies to follow up ?

[BlackJack]

people still don't understand the difference between HIV and AIDS

there are hundreds of kinds of HIV and most people get over it

some go on to AIDS because of many things -

lifestyle

drugs

prior infections

etc etc

do your homework folks as Malaria is more prevalent and more deadly

PS - anti viral drugs dont work

[silomplaya]

The know it alls are at it again,

I guess in between sas special forces training and gaining masters degrees in 3 subjects combined with a phd juggled with living in the highest building in silom and speaking and writing perfect thai and dating the richest thai/chinese banking invester in thailands daughter , these above thai visas members are all also hiv specialists on the side.

[Prbkk]

Back in the 80s and 90s, Thailand was a world leader in education programs about AIDS and HIV. The program worked and HIV infection was for many years mostly contained within intravenous drug users. The program went off the rails. Time to bring it back.

The cocktail of drugs has made teenagers all over the world think that HIV is a manageable disease. But the treatment regime is expensive, life-long and extremely hard on the body.

Prevention through awareness is the key.

[ginjag]

i think its remarkable the numbers are so low

They aren't............what about the rest ??? in some cases the virus does not show for 10 years, in others fairly quick.

The numbers are taken from a computer, it gives out the input.

[ginjag]

This is NOT a Homosexual virus, it is one that affects all walks of life, it does not care if your rich or poor male or female. Of all sexually active people Lesbians are the group that have few problems.