HEALTH : Aids situation worrying, says minister

HEALTH : Aids situation worrying, says minister.

ANUCHA CHAROENPO

The number of HIV/Aids cases in the country is on the rise, which is a concern, says Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla. He was talking after a recent meeting with members of the national board on HIV/Aids prevention and solutions at Government House.

HIV/Aids experts anticipated the country would have 1.1 million infections in the next year. Of the total, about 14,000 will be new patients.

According to one report, said Dr Mongkol, youngsters practising unsafe sex had caused the rise in HIV/Aids infections.

Last year there were 35 new infections in every 1,000 female sex workers, compared to 23 per 1,000 in 2005.

Dr Mongkol said experts were drafting a five-year national plan on HIV/Aids prevention and integration, to be implemented during 2007-2011.

The plan would focus on public participation, prevention in high-risk groups such as youths, wives and homosexuals, protecting the rights of HIV/Aids patients, and HIV/Aids research development. It aimed to cut back the number of new HIV/Aids patients by half and to ensure that 80% of HIV/Aids patients have access to anti-retroviral drugs and other state welfare and services.

Public Health permanent secretary Prach Boonyawongwiroj said 2.7 billion baht was set aside for the purchase of anti-retroviral drugs for around 84,000 HIV/Aids patients last year. This year, 100,000 HIV/Aids patients would get similar help

Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007