How much of a problem is HIV AIDS in Thailand?

[MichaelGray]

more than one-in-100 adults in this country of 65 million people is infected with HIV, and AIDS has become a leading cause of death

http://www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm

The HIV prevalence among the other high risk groups in 2003 was: female direct sex workers (10.87%); male sex workers (7.90%), fishermen (6.86%);

Fishermen :?

HIV/ AIDS is now the leading cause of death among young adults in Thailand.

http://www.youandaids.org/Asia%20Pacific%20at%20a%20Glance/Thailand/index.asp#HIVSituation

Since the epidemic arrived in Thailand in 1984, 1 million people have been infected and 400,000 have died.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/15/news/aids.php

[i_love_som_tam]

why do you make such and effort to slam thailand and the thai people? from the same article...

There are very few developing countries in the world where public policy has been effective in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS on a national scale, but Thailand is an exception. A massive programme to control HIV has reduced visits to commercial sex workers by half, raised condom usage, decreased the prevalence of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) dramatically, and achieved substantial reductions in new HIV infections.

By the end of 2005, national HIV prevalence was 1.4%, down from 1.8% in 2003 and more than 2% a decade earlier.

Before you start slamming women...

HIV affects more men than women in Thailand; the male-female ratio is nearly 3:1.

Does this apply to you?

MSM are currently a major risk group in Thailand, accounting for about one-fifth of all HIV infections. In Bangkok (Thailand?s capital and largest city), HIV prevalence among MSM rose from 17% to 28% between 2003 and 2005. HIV prevalence among MSM younger than 21 years of age tripled in the same period.

http://www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm

why do u insist on being a wind up putz?

[MichaelGray]

why do you make such and effort to slam thailand and the thai people? from the same article...

There are very few developing countries in the world where public policy has been effective in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS on a national scale, but Thailand is an exception. A massive programme to control HIV has reduced visits to commercial sex workers by half, raised condom usage, decreased the prevalence of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) dramatically, and achieved substantial reductions in new HIV infections.

By the end of 2005, national HIV prevalence was 1.4%, down from 1.8% in 2003 and more than 2% a decade earlier.

Before you start slamming women...

HIV affects more men than women in Thailand; the male-female ratio is nearly 3:1.

Does this apply to you?

MSM are currently a major risk group in Thailand, accounting for about one-fifth of all HIV infections. In Bangkok (Thailand?s capital and largest city), HIV prevalence among MSM rose from 17% to 28% between 2003 and 2005. HIV prevalence among MSM younger than 21 years of age tripled in the same period.

http://www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm

why do u insist on being a wind up putz?

I didn't actually write the articles quoted. I merely posed a valid question & illustrated it with some facts from the www. I don't quite see how discussing a public health issue in such a manner could possible be constured as a wind up. It's rather short-sighted to brush it all under the capret & pretend it doesn't exist in Thailand, isn't it :?:

[i_love_som_tam]

why do you make such and effort to slam thailand and the thai people? from the same article...

There are very few developing countries in the world where public policy has been effective in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS on a national scale, but Thailand is an exception. A massive programme to control HIV has reduced visits to commercial sex workers by half, raised condom usage, decreased the prevalence of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) dramatically, and achieved substantial reductions in new HIV infections.

By the end of 2005, national HIV prevalence was 1.4%, down from 1.8% in 2003 and more than 2% a decade earlier.

Before you start slamming women...

HIV affects more men than women in Thailand; the male-female ratio is nearly 3:1.

Does this apply to you?

MSM are currently a major risk group in Thailand, accounting for about one-fifth of all HIV infections. In Bangkok (Thailand?s capital and largest city), HIV prevalence among MSM rose from 17% to 28% between 2003 and 2005. HIV prevalence among MSM younger than 21 years of age tripled in the same period.

http://www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm

why do u insist on being a wind up putz?

I didn't actually write the articles quoted. I merely posed a valid question & illustrated it with some facts from the www. I don't quite see how discussing a public health issue in such a manner could possible be constured as a wind up. It's rather short-sighted to brush it all under the capret & pretend it doesn't exist in Thailand, isn't it :?:

who said it doesn't exist? aids exists in every country in the world. it was even brought to the country of east timor (population 900,000) by UN workers. by only quoting statistics and not bringing to light the positive strides that the government is making in the fight against aids is nothing but a wind up.

[MichaelGray]

by only quoting statistics and not bringing to light the positive strides that the government is making in the fight against aids is nothing but a wind up.

I notice that you didn't bother to bring to light (provide evidence) of the stated positive strides that the government is making. Instead you took umbridge at the OP & threw a hissy fit. I assume then that you don't think there is much of a problem re. HIV AIDS in Thailand?

[i_love_som_tam]

by only quoting statistics and not bringing to light the positive strides that the government is making in the fight against aids is nothing but a wind up.

I notice that you didn't bother to bring to light (provide evidence) of the stated positive strides that the government is making. Instead you took umbridge at the OP & threw a hissy fit. I assume then that you don't think there is much of a problem re. HIV AIDS in Thailand?

evidently u did not read the quote i highlight from the very article that you pasted in your initial thread. and now you try to wind this up even more by calling my debate with you a "hissy fit".

maybe u couldn't read the entire post or the articles that you are referring to seeing how there isn't much light where your head is at. :wink:

[MichaelGray]

cut and paste is not a skill set.

How else do you suggest I illustrate the problem?

[Loburt]

sure he did. right in the first post.

[Loburt]

Another thing to bear in mind when talking about percentages (prevalence):

The percentage of people living with HIV is higher in sub-Saharan Africa, but because the populations of many Asian countries are larger, lower percentages still translate to huge numbers of people.

For instance:

The prevalence rate in India is 0.9% of the population. The rate in South Africa is much higher at about 20%. Nonetheless, because India?s population is so much larger than South Africa?s it actually has more people living with the virus. There are approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV and AIDS in India while South Africa has 5.5 million. If India?s prevalence rate rises, imagine how many people could be infected, and what a disaster that would be.

[MichaelGray]

cut and paste is not a skill set.

How else do you suggest I illustrate the problem?

by using your own thought process and being original..... oh wait did we not witness your originalty in girl on top..... my mistake in YOUR case cut and paste is a skill set.

I don't know anything about HIV Aids in Thailand, apart from the fact that the governing regime are alleged to have underestimated the size of the problem for fear of scaring away the tourists. A few facts & figures are an important ingredient in the OP to this topic, imo.

[Loburt]

I don't know anything about HIV Aids in Thailand, apart from the fact that the governing regime are alleged to have underestimated the size of the problem for fear of scaring away the tourists.

Not true since about 1990.

[MichaelGray]

I don't know anything about HIV Aids in Thailand, apart from the fact that the governing regime are alleged to have underestimated the size of the problem for fear of scaring away the tourists.

Not true since about 1990.

I was careful to use the word alleged in my post.

[Loburt]

+ the fact everybody knows about it

Just about everybody here knows HIV exists. But you would be surprised about how much they don't know about it.

Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV are major problems here, which means a helluva lot of people still believe the myths or have misconceptions about it.

[Loburt]

re: its more of a problem than the gvrmnt want you to think

I really don't think Thai governments have been trying to hide or downplay the problem. I've worked with a lot of people from international agencies and NGOs who are working on HIV issues, and none of them have ever said the Thai government is hiding anything or saying this isn't a serious problem. The government just doesn't care as much as it should. And that's true of most governments.

In the very early '90s when Mechai Viravaidya was the Minister of Public Health AND the Minister of Tourism in the military-appointed interim government of Anand Panyarachun, there were HIV public service commercials frequently on television. Since then, there are few. But there are few in most countries.

A lot of creativity is also need to keep coming up with public campaigns that have impact. And changing people's behavior is not easy. Look how many don't drive drunk campaigns there are, and yet people still do it.

Governments are notoriously bad at reaching groups such as drug users and MSM. Those people don't want anything to do with a civil servant, even if it's a health worker. The best way to reach those people and groups is through NGOs. Of course, the last government had lots of nasty things to say about NGOs.

The previous government, like many but more than most, only cared about providing for those who voted for it. Remember Thaksin's speech after the 2005 election that the provinces who did not vote for TRT can go to the back of the queue when it comes to government programs and help?

Injecting drug users and MSM are not TRT voters. Many are not voters at all. So the government ignored them.

That's a similar mistake to what the Reagan Administration did in the US in the '80s. HIV and AIDS were mainly a problem of the gay community at that time. The Reagan Administration was morally conservative and so took the attitude of 'those people don't vote for us, and we don't approve of their way of life, so let's do nothing and let them all die.'

Problem was and is, the epidemic never stays contained among these groups. It spreads out to everyone. And then the job of stopping it is monumental.

When you put politics and moral agendas ahead of public health concerns, everyone will suffer.

[sunsnow]

When you put politics and moral agendas ahead of public health concerns, everyone will suffer.

And widely known examples of this (connecting also to Thailand) are for example Bush Jr. goverment's decisions to a) limit funding to American health clinics when it comes to giving information on abortion limit/deny funding to family planning that includes preventing HIV with condoms (here is the connection to Thailand - USA stopping financial help on this matter)

Links that are effective on Thailand too:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/escr/document.do?id=ENGUSA20060711002

http://www.healthgap.org/press_releases/05/0905_INTL_LTR_Uganda_condoms_Muhwezi.html

Showing that there has been a global change on health policies when it comes to aid mixed with moral agendas and politics (in this particular problem).

Thai government has been famous in it's prevention program in the early 90's...but that time has "long gone" already,and I guess there are these days (new) similar "home made" problems in Thailand too, when it comes to certain groups and their access to information and help (the "Thai morality" and other reasons limiting the access...). True maybe that some groups dont trust civil officers but maybe also that there are reasons they dont trust them???

[Loburt]

The Bush Administrations policies on HIV and global health are seriously misguided and damaging to everyone.

The Thai government's policies, while still flawed in some respects, are still better than most and are recognized as such by most people working in the field.

Yes, marginalized groups have little reason to trust government health workers, not just in Thailand, but in just about every country. Lack of adequate knowledge and training, coupled with stigma and discrimination on the part of health care workers, are problems that every country in the region (except North Korea) admits to having.

That's why the best way to reach those groups is through NGOs who already work with them. Governments need to have a supportive and cooperative relationship with those NGOs, rather than an adversarial one.

Governments also need to create a legal environment, and train law enforcement officers, to allow those NGOs to work without fear of harassment or arrest.

[moo_noy]

The HIV prevalence among the other high risk groups in 2003 was: female direct sex workers (10.87%); male sex workers (7.90%), fishermen (6.86%);

fishermen!!!!! omg omg, what are they doing to those poor fish.i will never eat squid, and bearded clams again.

[zeusbheld]

Be carefull with statistics!

You don't die from AIDS, you die from something else, even a flu can be deadly if you have AIDS. If i put thoose people on the statistic of people who died from a flu and do it for any other too, the numbers of AIDS-deaths will drop to zero.

please for the truth watch this video you will be surprised on how much money is made on HIV tests its a big business

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3983706668483511310&sourceid=docidfeed&hl=en

ah yes. a half-assed, poorly made, cheesy documentary!!! there absolutely MUST be a CONSPIRACY!!!!!!! i can tell by the music!!!!!!!

so who is behind this vast conspiracy, einstien? the same people who pulled off the 9/11 job and pinned it on al qaeda? the bilderbergers? the space aliens from area 51?

[haiku_newyork]

Notice how there is never a CURE for anything! There is NO MONEY in a cure.... Instead they just sell you expensive drugs for a long period of time.

**** they could even be doing thier research in the completely wrong direction, do you think they will say that? No way, if they did they would lose thier research grants. Corporate greed is killing all the people.

[Loburt]

So no one ever came up with a cure for polio? A vaccine for rubella? Small pox?

A tremendous amount of money has been, and is being spent on attempting to develop a vaccine for HIV, and tens of thousands of people have participated in vaccine trials, including thousands here in Thailand.

[tallboyno1]

So no one ever came up with a cure for polio? A vaccine for rubella? Small pox?

A tremendous amount of money has been, and is being spent on attempting to develop a vaccine for HIV, and tens of thousands of people have participated in vaccine trials, including thousands here in Thailand.

Well I agree and a lot of effort and money have been invested for this type of research projects. I think we have hopefully solved this within a 10 years period with a new dna vaccine that can be available for everyone.

I know that here they have been successful last year of making a kind of dna vaccination tests, as I understand the project - HIVIS a process started already in the beginning of 1990ies. This below link from 1999 describe how they with this medicine helping already infected HIV persons but now they also have a solution for prevention of HIV in this HIVIS project.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10347985&dopt=Abstract

[zeusbheld]

Notice how there is never a CURE for anything! There is NO MONEY in a cure.... Instead they just sell you expensive drugs for a long period of time.

sh*t they could even be doing thier research in the completely wrong direction, do you think they will say that? No way, if they did they would lose thier research grants. Corporate greed is killing all the people.

corporate greed may kill people but ignorance and willful stupidity kill as many or more.

no doubt you'll get a thank you card from the grim reaper for your contribution to spreading the word.

[bored]

anyone for a BNO with katoeys in patpong. no condoms of course... THEY are responsible for all the bad. let's go get them!!!