AIDS Believed on Rise Again in Thailand

[Old Hippie]

AIDS Believed on Rise Again in Thailand

October 03, 2005 8:50 AM EDT

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thailand was once considered a model in the fight against AIDS, but the man behind that success says the country of 63 million has returned to the days of ignorance and that the disease is making a deadly comeback.

 

Mechai Viravaidya is widely known as Mr. Condom for the aggressive condom distribution and public education campaign he began in the 1990s. He believes there were 25,000 new infections last year, well over the official figure of 19,000.

 

While that is much less than the 143,000 infections the government counted in 1991, Mechai says the number is growing fast because of unprotected sex, especially among young people.

 

"It's clear that AIDS has returned to rise again ... . We've gone back to days of ignorance," said Mechai, who is conducting a second AIDS awareness campaign. "There's no reason why next year it won't be 100,000 new cases."

 

When Thailand recorded its first AIDS case in 1984, the country was believed to be on the verge of a huge AIDS epidemic due to its enormous sex industry. It was estimated that without action, an estimated four million people would be infected by 2002.

 

The government went into denial, and things changed only in the 1990s when Mechai, a senator and the chairman of a private population association, persuaded the prime minister to head the National AIDS Committee. The budget to fight the epidemic increased 50-fold, and radio and television stations were required to broadcast AIDS education.

 

The current government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has spent considerable sums on caring for and providing free anti-retroviral drugs to HIV-positive people. But Thaksin has not attended meetings of the National AIDS Committee or mentioned AIDS in his statements to Parliament since he took office in February 2001.

 

"The government budget, the lack of the declaration, the prime minister's abdication from the role, and the consequent weak public education program has resulted in what we have today: a tremendous increase," Mechai said.

 

Thai government spokesman Suraphong Suebwonglee denied the government was neglecting AIDS but said officials have had to contend with other public health threats.

 

"In the past two to three years, there has also been bird flu and dengue fever prevention, as well as disease prevention because of food safety and cigarettes," Suraphong told The Associated Press.

 

He said Thaksin shares Mechai's concern that AIDS will spread among youth. On Saturday Thaksin announced a policy to prevent youth delinquency, including "inappropriate" sexual behavior.

 

In 2004, sexually transmitted diseases among youth shot up at least 30 percent, and Mechai believes AIDS is on a similar track.

 

The government estimates 1 million Thais have been infected with HIV and 500,000 have died; Mechai believes there have been 2 million infections and 800,000 HIV/AIDS deaths.

 

"We think it's underestimated. We don't want to be nasty and call it a lie, but I think it's pretty close to it," Mechai said.

 

The U.N. Development Program warned in July 2004 that there were clear signs of an AIDS resurgence, with government spending on HIV/AIDS programs dropping from $82 million in 1997 to $25 million in 2003.

 

Mechai has given up on the government and has started buying condoms to distribute wherever he goes, insisting Thailand need only repeat its earlier successful strategy of public education and condoms. Only 20 percent to 30 percent of young people use condoms consistently, he said.

 

"With the demise and disappearance of public education, people think it's gone. I've had some kids say to me, 'Is AIDS still around?'" Mechai said.

[..]

He may well be correct, but I generally need more proof than "He believes there were 25,000 new infections last year, well over the official figure of 19,000." Why does he believe? What are his metrics? Where did he get his data? Or is it pure speculation from anecdotal evidence?

 

Without the answer to those questions, it is as good as me saying that AIDS does not exist (I do not believe that, just an example).

 

Cheers,

SD

[Nervous_Dog]

I've found he has a very good group of researchers working for him, who are quite loyal but also very down to earth

 

This is a man happy to take cigerette sponsorship, better some $ than nothing!

 

Most of his work has very little to do with AIDS/Conoms ironically.

 

Interesting person,

 

DOG

[Hugh_Hoy]

I remember him when he began his campaign...about 1990 or 91. He'd visit the SC bars with a couple of helpers and pass out little pamphlets and condom. I remember the girls laughing and blowing up the condoms and batting them around like balloons.

 

One night, he came into the Darling Bar and was followed by a TV crew with lights and all. Man...u should've seen those girls dash off the stage and hide !!!

 

A year later, for maybe 200 feet along SC, he and his group set up a whole series of information booths and games...pictures of Aids victims...kind of a mini-expo on Aids. He seemed to be getting a lot more attention and there were fewer snickers from the girls. More like genuine interest in the message he was trying to deliver.

 

HH

[Flashermac]

Meechai was campaigning for condoms thirty years ago! That's when he got his name applied to what had formerly been called "raincoats". But back then it was family planning -- trying to limit the rapidly increasing Thai population, where farm families were having half a dozen or more children. (The population in the '70s was 45 million. Today it is about 63 million -- despite Meechai's efforts.)

 

There were family planning nights at Patpong in the early '80s, with Meechai's people handing out free packets of condoms and the BGs going wild playing with them -- as helium filled balloons or even water balloons to lob at passers by.

 

Meechai got back into the condom promotion after the explosion of Aids here in the late '80s. The north of Thailand was very heavily hit by the disease, with entire families being wiped out. Idiot husband would go off to a brothel with his friends when he was away from home. He would get infected, bring it home to his wife ... and she would give birth to children already HIV positive.

 

Sounds like its time for Meechai to get back into the act again!

 

[Nervous_Dog]

His biography is on most book stores, a good read and interesting, probably the first famous luk krung TV star!

 

DOG

[Therafalution]

Flashermac said:

 

Meechai got back into the condom promotion after the explosion of Aids here in the late '80s. The north of Thailand was very heavily hit by the disease, with entire families being wiped out. Idiot husband would go off to a brothel with his friends when he was away from home. He would get infected, bring it home to his wife ... and she would give birth to children already HIV positive.

 

Sounds like its time for Meechai to get back into the act again!

 

 

You sure about there being an explosion of AIDS in Northern Thailand back in the '80s, (i'm not talking HIV infections statistics, I'm talking death rates due to AIDS defining illnesses,) what studies are you quoting from. The idea whole families were being wiped out by heterosexually transmitted HIV in the 80's due to a husbands trip to a prosititute seems somewhat illogical, considering the the transmission rates suggested by studies into unprotected vaginal intercourse, and the fact that it is the scientists belief that it takes an average of 8- 10 years to develop AIDS from HIV (in the absence of any treatment) and also the fact that I really have trouble believing sexual practices in the northern thai frequented brothels have changed much since the 80's.

 

In fact on analysis of the HIV statistics done in thailand in the 80's, you find that the real correlation to whther one was considered HIV + was not done to sexual practices, whether someone was gay, had anal sex, unprotected sex or was even a prostitute it correlated to them coming from the North of Thailand, and area were diseases such as tubercolosis are still endemic. Exposure to tubercolosis amongst many other diseases incidently has been shown in studies to cause cross reactivity with 'HIV antibodies'.

basically it can give a false positive HIV test.

[..]

Hmmmm. Put on your tin foil hat before reading this. A bit wacky, but thought provoking...

 

+++++++++

 

The AIDS virus: Made in the USA?

 

By Jerry Mazza Online Journal Contributing Writer

 

October 26, 2005?You mean AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) didn?t come from a green monkey that bit a black African on the ass? Are you lying to us again, Uncle Sam? I think so.

 

In fact, on July 29, 1969, only days after the Department of Defense (DOD) asked for $10 million from Congress to fund the development of a ?synthetic biological agent, an agent that does not naturally exist and for which no natural immunity could have been acquired . . ." on that day, the chairman of the Republican Task Force on Earth Resources and Population, the Honorable George H. W. Bush, U.S. Representative from Texas, 7th District (1967?71), stressed the pressing need for population control activities to fend off ?a growing Third World crisis.? Imagine.

 

Here is the linked text of the Dept. of Defense request for Appropriation for 1970, HB 15090, from page 129. Quoted is Dr. MacArthur from said Pentagon, speaking to Robert L.F. Sikes, Florida, about the need for the above mentioned ?synthetic biological agent?.

 

The rest here.

 

+++++++++

 

Cheers,

SD

[Harry Palmer]

I though hiv aids had been on a steady rise for the last 10 odd years. When was it ever in recess or under control? Just hidden so as not to scare the tourists is all.

[Nervous_Dog]

No - Meechai is given quite a lot of credit for stopping a wide blown endemic in the 80's and 90's.

 

He's now trying again to bring it back to attention

 

DOG