Sex overtakes drug use as main cause of HIV infection - Kelantan the champion - Too many sex maniacs there

The wide availability of community-level testing, such as at this clinic run by a charity, has ensured Malaysia is able to identify 89% of HIV-positive people, a UN reports says. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 23, 2017.

SEXUAL transmission of HIV is on the rise in Malaysia and across the world, said Malaysian Aids Council (MAC).

MAC honorary secretary Hisham Hussein said in 2016, there were 3,397 new diagnoses of HIV and 83% were because of sexual transmission.

"Intravenous drug users used to be the main driver for the increase (HIV infections) in the past five years, but it has gone down and only make up of 11% of the total transmissions.

"The Ministry of Health (MoH) is fully aware of this and has set up a sexual transmission task force to address this issue."


Hisham said there should be sex education at secondary and tertiary level of education because of the concern over sexual activity and pregnancy among youth.

Hisham said the Ministry of Education supported raising awareness on sexual health among students, but teachers, especially in government school, had difficulties in openly discussing sex with their students.

"The teachers find it difficult to teach family health in schools.

"We do not face any issues going to private institutions to talk about it, they welcome us with open doors.

"We understand the sensitivities, but they (government institutions) need to open up about it," he told The Malaysian Insight.

A recent report by United Nations showed that Malaysia is one of the 10 countries which together accounted for over 95% of new HIV infections in the Asia-Pacific.

The report said Malaysia could detect 89% of those who had HIV, but of that number only 39% had access to treatment.

Hisham said MAC and the government were trying their best to provide treatment for patients.

"We have programmes with the Health Ministry that focus on testing, adherence and peer education.

"We try to get as many people as possible to take the HIV test, and if they test positive, medication is dispensed free at all government hospitals," he said, noting that Malaysia was the first country in the region to do so.

Hisham said patients had to consistently take the medication so as to ensure that the virus did not build up resistance.

"As for peer educators, we try to help transgenders, gay men and sex workers help members of their own community because they know them well.

"We are not aware of anybody with HIV but does not get access (to treatment) because have always been trying to get people tested for HIV.

"Our partner organisations are well-trained and we believe that MoH today has changed for the better," Hisham added.

He also said the issues of unwed mothers should be addressed soon as they were also prone to HIV infection. – July 23, 2017.