BANGKOK, 7 August, 2011- According to doctors’ data analysis, unsafe sex is still the main cause of HIV/AIDS while people in the employment sector have become the risk group.
The study was conducted last year among 130,000 people, mainly those getting donated blood, drug users through injection, pregnant women, male patients with sexually transmitted diseases, and sex workers in eight provinces.
The data collection shows that HIV/AIDS infection in male prostitutes represents 21 per cent of all the infected people. That means, one in five male prostitutes has HIV/AIDS. Infection among male prostitutes under 20 years is the highest, representing 15 percent.
Infection among people moonlighting as sex workers is increasing while that among professional sex workers is in a downward trend.
Seventy-five percent of AIDS patients are aged between 20 and 44. People in the employment sector are the risk group. More than 45 percent of them have HIV. Four per cent of them are housewives. Ranong is found to have the highest number of HIV/AIDS infected people, followed by Bangkok.
Since the data collection began in 1984, the virus has infected nearly 380,000 people. Ninety thousand of them died. Unprotected sex is found to be the major cause of infection.
To prevent HIV/AIDS, doctors advise men to use condoms. Those wanting to get an HIV test can seek free medical service at public hospitals.
