A Bangkok symposium on HIV/Aids looks at the progress being made to turn the disease from “epidemic” to “endemic”
Like most member nations of the United Nations, Thailand has set itself the goal of eliminating new infections of HIV/Aids and reaching “Getting to Zero” by 2030.
It is an ambition that faces many challenges. Current figures show that the nation has more than 400,000 HIV-infected patients and that 21 per cent of them are over the age of 50. Improved medical treatment and more efficient drugs will push an increasing number of those infected into the 50 years-plus bracket as the target date draws near, thus exposing them to age-related medical conditions.
At the same time, a the national survey in 2016, conducted by the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre in 2016 found 6,200 new patients being infected with HIV per year – or 17 persons per day – and that the majority of these were among the younger generation, especially men who have sex with men (MSM).