Aids in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand has, at least according to available figures, the most serious AIDS problem in Asia. The spread of the disease has beer, explosive. The country's first AIDS case was diagnosed in 1984. Testing for HIV among vulnerabel groups such as intravenous drug users and commercial sex workers (CSWs) began in the mid-1980s. This revealed a very rapid growth in infection rates among drug users, especially in the Bangkok area. Initially the Thai government tried 10 minimise publicity about the AIDS problem reasoning that hysteria could undermine the country's largest foreign exchange earner, tourism. But as the scale of the problem became clear the government initiated the most imaginative and far-reaching AIDS-awareness campaign in the developing world. The fact that HIV infection rates now appear to be in decline indicates the success of the programme.