HIV-positive Malaysians shying away from treatment fearing stigma
Asociated Press, 1/23/2006
Malaysia--Most Malaysians infected with HIV are unwilling to seek treatment because they are afraid of being ostracized in this conservative Muslim country, a news report said Monday.
Despite government-subsidized anti-AIDS drugs, studies showed fewer than five percent of the 65,000 documented HIV-infected Malaysians were seeking treatment, the New Straits Times said quoting Christopher Lee, the senior specialist and consultant for infectious diseases at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
"People are afraid of the stigma," Lee was quoted as saying.
Statistics compiled for 2003 by the government's National HIV/AIDS Treatment Registry showed that only about 1,785 HIV-positive patients were receiving care at government hospitals, while about 200 others were being treated at private medical centers, Lee said.
Lee said government subsidies allowed AIDS medicines to be sold cheaply, especially with the introduction of generic drugs from India. A cocktail of treatment drugs would cost a patient just 220 ringgit (US$62; €51) a month.
Lee was in a meeting with health officials Monday and could not be reached for further details. His assistant, who isn't authorized to speak to the press, declined to comment.
According to the Health Ministry, about 65,000 Malaysians have been diagnosed with HIV since 1986, when the first case was discovered. Of those, 9,444 developed full blown AIDS and 7,195 have since died.
Non-governmental organizations believe the official figures are too low. A U.N. estimate for Malaysia last year put the figure at 81,000 infections, saying the epidemic in Malaysia has spread from high-risk groups to the general public.
Nafis Sadik, the U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, has urged Malaysia to stop ignoring its epidemic and remove the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.
Source: China Post
Malaysia--Most Malaysians infected with HIV are unwilling to seek treatment because they are afraid of being ostracized in this conservative Muslim country, a news report said Monday.
Despite government-subsidized anti-AIDS drugs, studies showed fewer than five percent of the 65,000 documented HIV-infected Malaysians were seeking treatment, the New Straits Times said quoting Christopher Lee, the senior specialist and consultant for infectious diseases at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
"People are afraid of the stigma," Lee was quoted as saying.
Statistics compiled for 2003 by the government's National HIV/AIDS Treatment Registry showed that only about 1,785 HIV-positive patients were receiving care at government hospitals, while about 200 others were being treated at private medical centers, Lee said.
Lee said government subsidies allowed AIDS medicines to be sold cheaply, especially with the introduction of generic drugs from India. A cocktail of treatment drugs would cost a patient just 220 ringgit (US$62; €51) a month.
Lee was in a meeting with health officials Monday and could not be reached for further details. His assistant, who isn't authorized to speak to the press, declined to comment.
According to the Health Ministry, about 65,000 Malaysians have been diagnosed with HIV since 1986, when the first case was discovered. Of those, 9,444 developed full blown AIDS and 7,195 have since died.
Non-governmental organizations believe the official figures are too low. A U.N. estimate for Malaysia last year put the figure at 81,000 infections, saying the epidemic in Malaysia has spread from high-risk groups to the general public.
Nafis Sadik, the U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, has urged Malaysia to stop ignoring its epidemic and remove the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS.
Source: China Post
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 5:16 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home