Complimentary condoms in hotel rooms?

40% of new Aids cases are housewives

Bangkok Post

APIRADEE TREERUTKUARKUL

"The rising number of housewives contracting HIV/Aids from their husbands is a matter for serious concern, Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla said at a recent seminar. Aids activists are calling for a revival of campaigns promoting condom use to curb the growing infection rate.

Speaking during the 11th national seminar on Aids, Dr Mongkol said he was worried about the rising infection rate over the last two years, especially among married couples. Up to 40% of the 18,000 new cases found each year were housewives. The number was relatively high compared to other risk groups such as men having sex with men, 28%, and sex workers, 10%. Most contracted the virus from their husbands who had casual sex. Dr Mongkol said he was thinking of launching a ''family condom'' campaign as well as encouraging married couples to stay monogamous. ''Using condoms should be regarded as showing respect to each other so that both husband and wife will be safe from sexually-transmitted diseases such as HIV/Aids. Wives should also stand up for a better deal from their husbands,'' he said.

The national committee on Aids is working on the project with Mechai Viravaidya, widely known as Mr Condom. They will ask hotel operators to help by putting complimentary condoms in hotel rooms, he said. Mr Mechai, who campaigned for condom use among sex workers when Thailand was first hit by the virus, urged the government to pay more attention to prevention programmes. ''Compulsory licensing is not the solution to Aids. It actually reflects the country's failure to promote a prevention campaign,'' he told the seminar. Mr Mechai, chairman of the Population and Community Development Association, was appointed by the national committee on Aids to oversee a sub-panel to promote condom use.

Teenagers are regarded as a risk group as a recent survey showed about 67% of 6,000 respondents, aged 18-19, did not use condoms when having sex, he said.

Meanwhile, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thailand should work closely with other Asean members when giving local drug manufacturers the right to copy drugs patented by big pharmaceutical firms"

Bangkok Post