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Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health
and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that HIV
prevalence among Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) increased from 17 percent
in 2003 to 29 percent in 2011, based on a survey of 4,800 MSM clients tested
for HIV at Bangkok’s Silom Community Clinic between 2005 and 2011. The study
estimated a 12-percent HIV infection rate among MSM ages 15 to 21. Fewer than
43 percent of MSM study participants reported ever having previous HIV
screening. Thailand’s National AIDS Management Centre estimated that 41 percent
of all new HIV cases in 2012 occurred among MSM.
As a result, the Thai government has
begun to redirect HIV prevention funding. In 2009, only 1 percent of Thai
government HIV prevention resources targeted MSM, compared with 8 percent in
2011, according to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. However,
external donors still funded more than 90 percent of HIV prevention activities,
with nongovernmental and community-based groups implementing most programs
among high-risk groups. The Thai government also was considering the use of
antiretroviral therapy for pre-exposure prophylaxis with high-risk groups.
HIV Foundation Thailand President
Nikorn Chimkong reported that casual sex Web sites and gay nightlife venues
fostered the HIV epidemic among young Thai MSM. Outreach programs could provide
counseling and condoms at party venues, but it was difficult to reach the
target population with behavior change messages through social media, according
to Alex Duke, program manager at Population Services International Thailand
(PSI). PSI was developing ways to complement peer-based interventions with
social media and Web sites.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
