On Monday, as fresh data revealed an increase in the number of HIV-positive children, a warning regarding the dangers of “safe sex” practices among Thai teenagers was released.
The Department of Health’s interim director-general, Dr. Achara Nithiaphinyasakul, said the agency intends to educate youth on healthy sexual relationship practices.
In addition, gender respect and conscientiousness are vital in preventing non-consensual sexual activity, and high-efficiency birth control techniques help prevent undesired pregnancies, especially when used in conjunction with a condom, said Dr. Ekachai Piensriwatchara, the deputy director-general of the department.
The alert was issued in response to data on HIV prevalence in Thailand recently made public by the Department of Disease Control (DDC), which showed that 9,230 new cases of HIV positive were identified in 2022.
Of those, just 22.4% were receiving hospital treatment, and the majority were between the ages of 15 and 24.
In terms of other sexually transmitted infections (STDs), 14,534 instances of gonorrhea and syphilis were found in that year. Only 80% of couples, according to the survey, utilized condoms during sexual activity.
Since condom use helps prevent STDs and unintended pregnancies, the government encourages people to get free condoms from any health service unit. Furthermore, according to the DDC, individuals can get free HIV tests through the PaoTang mobile application as part of the National Health Security Service.
READ MORE: https://ddc.moph.go.th/viralpneumonia/eng/index.php
