The Ministry of Health is "very concerned" after new figures showed the rate
people are being infected with the AIDS virus is soaring.
One expert
said the disease appears to be spreading faster in this country than it did in
Thailand, where some figures say one in 50 sexually active adults is HIV
positive.
The number of positive tests last year for the virus has leapt
by 155 percent compared with 1992, according to research by the World Health
Organization in conjunction with the ministry.
WHO's latest projection of
the number of Cambodians who are now HIV positive is between 2,000 and
4,000.
Dr Tea Phaly of the Ministry of Health's National AIDS Committee
said: "I think at present AIDS is nearly top priority for the Ministry of
Health. We are very concerned about the situation."
The figures are
rates of infection among blood donors and Dr Phaly said the majority of them
were men aged 25-55.
The newest statistics, for last month, show that
2.48 percent of people offering to donate blood are HIV positive, with an
accumulated total of those known to be infected up to 347.
The figure
over the whole of last year averaged to 1.97 per cent of people offering blood
being HIV positive, 20 times higher than the rate of 0.076 recorded in Phnom
Penh in 1991.
Based on the January figure, Dr Phaly said it appeared the
virus was spreading faster than in Thailand where 0.8 percent of blood donors
was found to be postive in 1992.
"For us, the disease began occurring
just about two years ago, but the rate of infection is two times higher, 0.8
to1.97 percent, over the same time," he said.
Dr Phaly said most of those
voluntarily undergoing blood tests were men who had had sex with a
prostitute.
One of the only ways in Phnom Penh to obtain a free AIDS test
is to offer to give blood. This could be a distorting factor on the
statistics.
For the first time last year there were some figures on the
incidence of the AIDS virus in the provinces. Battambang had the highest rate
with 1.48 per cent of blood donors HIV positive during testing between June and
December.
Elsewhere in testing over the whole year Banteay Meanchey had a
rate of 1.13 percent, Pursat 0.79 percent and Kompong Chhang 0.17
percent.
Unofficial figures show there are also some HIV positive cases
in Stung Treng, Kompong Speu and Sihanoukville.
The report accompanying
the figures cited rumours of patients displaying AIDS-like symptons but
confirmed cases have yet to be reported to the Ministry of Health.
People
who are HIV positive may develop AIDS, in which the virus destroys the body's
defences against disease.
As part of the battle to halt the spread of the
disease the WHO is planning to distribute 95,000 condoms.
Phnom Penh
which is the major center of the country's flourishing sex industry is getting
the biggest share.
Dr Phaly said that people were becoming more used to
using condoms to protect them against infection.
But he added that even
though sex workers were being educated to always use them, they still faced
problems.
"Sometime they [prostitutes] cannot convince their clients to
use it, especially when the clients are drunk and start beating them," Dr Phaly
said.
Contact PhnomPenh Post for full article
Post Media Co LtdThe Elements Condominium, Level 7
Hun Sen Boulevard
Phum Tuol Roka III
Sangkat Chak Angre Krom, Khan Meanchey
12353 Phnom Penh
Cambodia
Telegram: 092 555 741
Email: [email protected]