Malaysia Health Ministry Cannot Promote Condom Use To Prevent Spread of HIV, Official Says
by Communications
[5.22.2007]
Malaysia's Ministry of Health cannot openly promote condom use to prevent the spread of HIV because it could be misinterpreted as advocating promiscuity, deputy director for the Ministry of Health Jalal Halil Khalil said Sunday in conjunction with International AIDS Memorial Day, Malaysia's New Straits Times reports. Promotion of condom use will be handed over to nongovernmental organizations, including the Malaysian AIDS Council and its 37 affiliates, Khalil said.
According to the Times, there are about 75,000 HIV-positive people living in Malaysia, 70% of whom are injection drug users (Darshni, New Straits Times, 5/21). In addition, the government has said that transmission through heterosexual sex is increasing and noted a trend of increasing HIV incidence among women in the country (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/13). Current efforts to combat the spread of the disease have targeted IDUs, commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men, the Times reports.
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