Young People With Hiv/aids In Bangkok Highest In Thailand, On The Rise

[george]

Young people with HIV/AIDS in Bangkok highest in Thailand, on the rise

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's disease control department revealed on World AIDS Day Friday that the number of young people with AIDS in Bangkok is the highest in the country.

To mark the occasion, Bangkok recorded the highest number -- 92 young people newly-infected with HIV, according to Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department.

According to the report of the Epidemiology Bureau, the number of AIDS patients aged between 15-24 years old has been rising recently with the highest rate reported among university students.

The other 10 provinces which have recorded high numbers of young AIDS patients are Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nonthaburi, Phayao, Khon Kaen, Rayong, Lampang, Songkhla, and Samut Prakan.

The number of male patients is higher than female patients and most of them contracted the deadly disease by sexual intercourse.

According to surveys from 2004 to 2006, young people aged between 15-24 years old had little knowledge on HIV protection and the rate of condom use remained low.

Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health said more than one million AIDS patients were recorded in Thailand from 1984 through November 2006.

Half of them already died while 556, 848 people with AIDS are still alive and have received medical treatment. There have been 15,174 infections reported this year with an average of 40 new cases daily--or almost two persons per minute on average.

He said it is worrying that 0.44 per cent of pregnant girls aged between 15-19 years old were infected with HIV in mid 2006 although there had been no infections among this group reported earlier.

--TNA 2006-12-01

[BonniesBoys]

Young people with HIV/AIDS in Bangkok highest in Thailand, on the rise

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's disease control department revealed on World AIDS Day Friday that the number of young people with AIDS in Bangkok is the highest in the country.

Half of them already died while 556, 848 people with AIDS are still alive and have received medical treatment. There have been 15,174 infections reported this year with an average of 40 new cases daily--or almost two persons per minute on average.

This should bother us more. Education is the key. I know living with AIDS is hard for patients and their loved ones too. CHILDREN FEEL INVINCIBLE. They need to see the agony face to face to change behavior that puts lives at risk.

[Mid]

There have been 15,174 infections reported this year with an average of 40 new cases daily--or almost two persons per minute on average.

two per hour ...............

still way too many

[Rinrada]

Latest figures from

UNAIDS/WHO

According to the latest figures published on 21 November 2006 in the UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5 million people are living with HIV.

There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006 with 2.8 million (65%) of these ccurring in sub-Saharan Africa and important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where there are some indications that infection rates have risen by more than 50% since 2004.

In 2006, 2.9 million people died of AIDS-related illnesses.

[farangsay]

It is my perception that the Thai authorities have made huge efforts to promote awareness of the dangers of STD's and the use of condoms. It is also my experience here that this has been successful , though I cannot speak for the younger womenfolk

(I am of an age where any lass under 35 would make me feel like a paedo).

That the problem should persist with youngsters is very tragic simply because they have so much more life expectancy to cut short.

Edited December 1, 2006 by farangsay

[Rinrada]

This chap could say a couple of words....... and maybe......

[ColPyat]

That the problem should persist with youngsters is very tragic simply because they have so much more life expectancy to cut short.

It is an expected result, on a par with the west, of the arrival of antiretroviral medicine, which has turned AIDS from a death sentence into managable chronic illness.

I would not start panicking here in Thailand, as fortunately all AIDS patients who need it are able to get free medicine by now (or very soon). The side effects of the medicine nowadays are so slight that I personally would prefer AIDS over diabetes. Another good news is that Thailand had the courage of breaking the patent of Efavirenz. This is going to be hopefully an encouragement for other countries to break the dictate of the pharma giants.

The most important task still left here, is to get rid of the AIDS stigmata that does make patients social outcasts. But also there Thailand is a forerunner in the the developing world.

The real problems are not in Thailand anymore, but apart from subsaharan Africa, here in the region India, Burma, China and Cambodia - all countries that have not free antiretroviral drugs.

[ColPyat]

This chap could say a couple of words....... and maybe......

There is not much else he can say, as this is a question of doctrine.

As long as parish priests can circumvent doctrine in their practical work in the society and support the use of condoms without being punished, this is a good compromise.

If you speak with Catholic priests who do work in that field, you will find that the vast majority are very practical when it comes to the question of condom usage.

[Mid]

That the problem should persist with youngsters is very tragic simply because they have so much more life expectancy to cut short.

It is an expected result, on a par with the west, of the arrival of antiretroviral medicine, which has turned AIDS from a death sentence into managable chronic illness.

I would not start panicking here in Thailand, as fortunately all AIDS patients who need it are able to get free medicine by now (or very soon). The side effects of the medicine nowadays are so slight that I personally would prefer AIDS over diabetes. Another good news is that Thailand had the courage of breaking the patent of Efavirenz. This is going to be hopefully an encouragement for other countries to break the dictate of the pharma giants.

The most important task still left here, is to get rid of the AIDS stigmata that does make patients social outcasts. But also there Thailand is a forerunner in the the developing world.

The real problems are not in Thailand anymore, but apart from subsaharan Africa, here in the region India, Burma, China and Cambodia - all countries that have not free antiretroviral drugs.

i don't believe i read that

[ColPyat]

i don't believe i read that

Well, you should.

Several of my family members are infected, and receive antiretrovirals, and live perfectly normal lifes.

Edited December 1, 2006 by ColPyat

[Mid]

i don't believe i read that

Well, you should.

Several of my family members are infected, and receive antiretrovirals, and live perfectly normal lifes.

that isn't what i highlighted and whilst i'm aware people lead normal lives , you again shock with your cavalier attitude , especially if as you claim your are touched personally by this virus

[ColPyat]

I would like to add here that i am tired of the constant politicising and panicking of the AIDS.

In reality Thailand, with all its faults, has been consistently, apart from a few hickups in the first years, exemplary in the way how it handled AIDS.

The pictures of the infamous AIDS temple are still in the mind of most people. I have been there, and i have seen it. Todays reality though is different. Thailand has managed very well to cope with AIDS, and is constantly held up as an example how a developing nation with limited funds can deal successfully with AIDS.

Krisana Kraisintu, while still head of development in the Governmental Pharmaceutical Organisation has developed the cheapest generic antiretroviral combination drug against huge resistence from the pharma giants. Read up on her, please. I believe she has now moved on, is based in Africa and helps setting up factories that can manufacture generics in those regions.

The Thai gvernment with the help of MSF Belgium have built up an excellent country wide network in hospitals, teaching staff, etc.

I believe Thailand was the first developing nation that has managed to give all AIDS patients antiretroviral drugs for free, which would not have been possible without the development of GPO-Vir.

AIDS is not a catastrophy in Thailand anymore. Outrage etc. should be reserved for the countries in which AIDS still is an automatic death sentence. And one does not need to go far - just across the border, Burma and Cambodia.

Edited December 1, 2006 by ColPyat

[Mid]

I would like to add here that i am tired of the constant politicising and panicking of the AIDS.

In reality Thailand, with all its faults, has been consistently, apart from a few hickups in the first years, exemplary in the way how it handled AIDS.

The pictures of the infamous AIDS temple are still in the mind of most people. I have been there, and i have seen it. Todays reality though is different. Thailand has managed very well to cope with AIDS, and is constantly held up as an example how a developing nation with limited funds can deal with AIDS.

Krisana Kraisintu, while still head of development in the Governmental Pharmaceutical Organisation has developed the cheapest generic antiretroviral combination drug against huge resistence from the pharma giants. Read up on her, please. I believe she has now moved on, is based in Africa and helps setting up factories that can manufacture generics in those regions.

The Thai gvernment with the help of MSF Belgium have built up an excellent country wide network in hospitals, teaching staff, etc.

I believe Thailand was the first developing nation that has managed to give all AIDS patients antiretroviral drugs for free, which would not have been possible without the development of GPO-Vir.

AIDS is not a catastrophy in Thailand anymore. Outrage etc. should be reserved for the countries in which AIDS still is an automatic death sentence. And one does not need to go far - just across the border, Burma and Cambodia.

this i agree with ............

now

would you care to address the highlighted sections of your post ?

[ColPyat]

i don't believe i read that

Well, you should.

Several of my family members are infected, and receive antiretrovirals, and live perfectly normal lifes.

that isn't what i highlighted and whilst i'm aware people lead normal lives , you again shock with your cavalier attitude , especially if as you claim your are touched personally by this virus

Recently i have heard somebody from an AIDS orphanage here in Thailand speaking. That place was conceived as a dying home for orphans with AIDS. The concept changed though with the event of antiretrovirals. The children who were supposed to die are now in their teens, healthy, and now the concept is to enable them to learn a profession.

[Mid]

i don't believe i read that

Well, you should.

Several of my family members are infected, and receive antiretrovirals, and live perfectly normal lifes.

that isn't what i highlighted and whilst i'm aware people lead normal lives , you again shock with your cavalier attitude , especially if as you claim your are touched personally by this virus

Recently i have heard somebody from an AIDS orphanage here in Thailand speaking. That place was conceived as a dying home for orphans with AIDS. The concept changed though with the event of antiretrovirals. The children who were supposed to die are now in their teens, healthy, and now the concept is to enable them to learn a profession.

the highlighted sections ..................................

if you would be so kind

[ColPyat]

this i agree with ............

now

would you care to address the highlighted sections of your post ?

AIDS has a huge stigmata. In reality though, with access to antiretrovirals patients can lead absolutely normal lifes. There are many combinations available, most at very low cost as well, so that the earlier side effects of some can be easily managed.

Diabetes, a chronic illness as well, makes life far more difficult for patients.

With AIDS, once the CD 4 count is above 300, and the virus load is down, people life a normal life.

So, yes, hypothetically speaking, if i would be given the choice between AIDS and diabetes i would choose AIDS.

I hope that explains my statement.

[Mid]

relax you guys with the red font ...................( khun Rinrada kup , that be you )

it explains that you are full of hot air , and have absolutley no idea of what your talking.

were you personally affected as you claim you would be only too aware of this.

Edited December 1, 2006 by Mid

[ColPyat]

relax you guys with the red font ...................

it explains that you are full of hot air , and have absolutley no idea of what your talking.

were you personally affected as you claim you would be only too aware of this.

WHAT?

[Mid]

last time ,

no person with any ides of the affects of this virus would make the statement you have .

[ColPyat]

last time ,

no person with any ides of the affects of this virus would make the statement you have .

And only somebody with a very dim idea on what antiretrovirals do with the virus would make such a statement.

[endure]

Calm down, ladies.

[Ijustwannateach]

Please calm down, everyone. And good luck and take care on World Aids Day.

I'm sure I've been exposed to people with AIDS before; the odds would have it so. I know of one who died the year after I met him. Good luck to them and God bless them.

When I go out to a disco, I assume everyone in the place has HIV. God bless them.

I hope that young people in Thailand and everywhere can learn to be careful about their sex lives, and learn to be worried about the health issues, not the face issues. God bless them and keep them safe.

Diabetes and AIDS are both terrible, terrible conditions, and I hope none of our readers ever has to experience either of them. God bless our readers and keep them safe from diabetes and HIV on World AIDS Day.

"Steven"

[ColPyat]

Diabetes and AIDS are both terrible, terrible conditions, and I hope none of our readers ever has to experience either of them. God bless our readers and keep them safe from diabetes and HIV on World AIDS Day.

"Steven"

Sorry to be argumentative, but AIDS early enough recognised, and treated early enough with antiretrovirals is not such a terrible condition anymore fortunately. It is recommended to treat AIDS with antiretrovirals latest at the stage of a CD 4 count of 250, the stage when the immune system starts breakin down and the body can't defend against the horrible deseases such as meningites, etc.

If the immune system is kept in check with antiretrovirals the CD 4 count climbs up, and the immune system can defend the body against infections.

AIDS without antiretrovirals is terrible indeed, or when found too late. Often then meningitis has already blinded the patient.

That is why it is so important to lose the fear and stigmata of AIDS, and treat it as what it is nowadays thanks to the antiretroviral drugs - just another chronic desease. AIDS won't go away unless science finds a cure, and that is presently highly unlikely.

We should be glad that there are antiretrovirals.

We should be glad that in Thailand at least they are available for free.

And we should hope that one day the pharma giants will understand that AIDS should be beyond the huge profits to be made, and that antiretrivirals will be available to all, for free. And adding, under supervision, of course, to avoid resistence by misuse.

Edited December 1, 2006 by ColPyat

[sua yai]

Colpyat,

Couldn't agree with you more. It was only a few years ago that a "cocktail" of antiretroviral would cost a Thai person 3,000 baht+ a month.

I think we're all realistic about how much, financially, that means to most Thais. Now, the medicine costs 30B a month - or it's free. That's a great movement forward to give hope to those who are affected by HIV and are lucky enough to have the condition diagnosed in time to make a huge difference to their lives.

To whatever and back to the pharmaceutical giants of this world. Whilst I appreciate that they are businesses and therefore have to make profit through R&D, there are people out there, everywhere, who are slowly dying because the medication is too expensive.

I commend Thailand in her decision to help her people. I just hope that other countries, such as South Africa, really do try to educate their people that eating beetroot etc (I think it was something stupid like that) will not work wonders. I think they've learnt now.

Don't know the arguments between diabetes and HIV, but I sure know people here who are very healthy because of the "cheap" medicine that's available now.

I don't think that's a bad thing.

[Mid]

Diabetes and AIDS are both terrible, terrible conditions, and I hope none of our readers ever has to experience either of them. God bless our readers and keep them safe from diabetes and HIV on World AIDS Day.

"Steven"

Sorry to be argumentative, but AIDS early enough recognised, and treated early enough with antiretrovirals is not such a terrible condition anymore fortunately. It is recommended to treat AIDS with antiretrovirals latest at the stage of a CD 4 count of 250, the stage when the immune system starts breakin down and the body can't defend against the horrible deseases such as meningites, etc.

If the immune system is kept in check with antiretrovirals the CD 4 count climbs up, and the immune system can defend the body against infections.

AIDS without antiretrovirals is terrible indeed, or when found too late. Often then meningitis has already blinded the patient.

That is why it is so important to lose the fear and stigmata of AIDS, and treat it as what it is nowadays thanks to the antiretroviral drugs - just another chronic desease. AIDS won't go away unless science finds a cure, and that is presently highly unlikely.

We should be glad that there are antiretrovirals.

We should be glad that in Thailand at least they are available for free.

And we should hope that one day the pharma giants will understand that AIDS should be beyond the huge profits to be made, and that antiretrivirals will be available to all, for free. And adding, under supervision, of course, to avoid resistence by misuse.

***flame deleted***

you try to present yourself as personally affected by this virus , yet you are unaware that your statements portray someone who has no idea of the virus and hence what you are talking .

there is no sane person who would prefer AIDS .

for your information ,

people who have the virus are HIV positive ,

AIDS is a Dr defined condition ( usually diagnosed by a CD4 count of less than 250 ) ,

once diagnosed with AIDS you stay that way until death.

HART can help to prolong the patients life-span , at a cost .

prefer AIDS indeed .....................

***flame deleted***

[jumnien]

AIDS and diabetes are both caused primarily, but not exclusively, by behaviors that people can be educated about. AIDS - unprotected sex, needle sharing, etc. Diabetes - lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity, etc.

Far more people will prefer to continue the behaviors that will ultimately result in their death from diabetes than people that will continue their behaviors that will result in their death from AIDS. We all hope that medications will be improved and that education will change behavior.

Personally, my father's boyfriend was doing very well on the anti-retroviral drugs; but he ultimately died from untreated alcoholism and addiction he refused to admit. My brother died at age 46 from diabetes, he struggled with obesity his whole life. They were both wonderful spirits as are the millions that have died from or currently suffer from both these conditions.

The reality is that AIDS will never affect nearly as many humans as diabetes will. Diabetes just isn't a headlines grabber. You'll never see Elizabeth Taylor at a star-studded diabetes gala event (probably best for all of us!)

[Mid]

The reality is that AIDS will never affect nearly as many humans as diabetes will

there is no ' reality in this statement .................

[jumnien]

The reality is that AIDS will never affect nearly as many humans as diabetes will

there is no ' reality in this statement .................

What I meant to say was that far more humans will die from diabetes complications than AIDS complications.

[ColPyat]

***flame deleted***

you try to present yourself as personally affected by this virus , yet you are unaware that your statements portray someone who has no idea of the virus and hence what you are talking .

there is no sane person who would prefer AIDS .

for your information ,

people who have the virus are HIV positive ,

AIDS is a Dr defined condition ( usually diagnosed by a CD4 count of less than 250 ) ,

once diagnosed with AIDS you stay that way until death.

HART can help to prolong the patients life-span , at a cost .

prefer AIDS indeed .....................

***flame deleted***

The only thing you state here is that you are not very educated about AIDS and its treatment.

Let me give you a few examples from real life:

- my wife's uncle was brought to the hospital about two years ago, dying of an AIDS related desease. He did not know that he got infected by his ex wife. His CD 4 count was somewhere around 30. After battling several deseases, including meningitis today his CD 4 count is around 300, and he is doing very fine, spending half his time in the village, and the other half with us here in Bangkok.

-one of my best friends was getting the rashes, the headaches, etc. He was diagnosed with AIDS, his CD 4 count was about 150. Today, one and a half years later his count is about 400. He is absolutely healthy. He works and has lots of fun. Every three months h has his tests (free of cost), and has to remember to take one pill in the morning and one in the evening at precisely the right time.

My wife's birth village is one of the worst affected in North Thailand. About 10% of the population is infected. There are whole families infected. Since they are getting antiretrovirals only the people are dying who refuse to accept their infection. Many have been saved by the free treatment. They do live healthy and happy lifes.

[ColPyat]

The only thing you state here is that you are not very educated about AIDS and its treatment.

oh how i wish that were true ...........................

i'm done with you

Then elaborate instead of flame, or just shut up. You contribute nothing other than aggrevate an otherwise civil discussion.