Volunteers take to the
streets to spread the anti-HIV/AIDS message.
Warunya Thongrod
Beach Road “service girls” were offered free HIV screenings as
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry and an HIV/AIDS group organized the
annual “Getting to Zero” health fair in Pattaya.
City Councilwoman Chanansa Sutthithamrongsawat opened the April 10 event
at the intersection of Beach and Central roads with Dr. Monthinee
Wasantiupphokhakorn of the ministry’s Bureau of AIDS, TB and STDs and
representatives from SWING Thailand, a community-based non-governmental
organization devoted to educating and improving the quality of life for
sex workers in Thailand.
The fair offered free HIV and AIDS screenings to female sex workers, as
well as health booths offering blood-pressure checks, blood-sugar tests,
health advice from specialists, and free condoms.
“This is a good move, as many agencies and networks have joined hands to
make the event happen in order to reduce new HIV cases, reduce deaths
from AIDS and reduce the stigma and discrimination related to HIV,”
Chanansa said.
On World AIDS Day Dec. 1, the ministry said Thailand had 1.2 million
HIV-infected citizens.
