Review: collected materials and records of HIV/AIDS prevalence and the contemporary social changes in Thailand.

Abstract

The first AIDS case in Thailand was reported in 1984: a bisexual 28-year-old male who had been in the US. By 1989 about 40% of brothel prostitutes in northern Thailand were HIV infected. HIV infection since spread rapidly into the general population. The National Blood Center of the Thai Red Cross Society began screening donated blood for HIV in 1986. As of May 31 1994 there were 7457 cumulative AIDS cases. Some key factors of the sociocultural background in Thailand that facilitated the HIV/AIDS epidemic included the lack of a compulsory and common system to control behavior focus on individual rather than community rapid economic development during 1970-1989 high rate of population migration from rural areas to Bangkok international tourism and the concurrent development of the sex industry intravenous drug use and acceptability of prostitution as an occupation among peasants in the north. Since 1989 a serosurvey of 21-year-old conscripts is conducted twice a year. The HIV infection rate is consistently higher among conscripts from northern Thailand. Around 50% of new HIV cases are women. HIV is spreading to their infants. Thailand has two HIV-1 subtypes distinct from those found in other regions of the world. During 1993-1994 at an AIDS clinic of Chulalongkorn University Hospital in Bangkok most patients (86%) acquired HIV infection through heterosexual intercourse. 47% had clinical AIDS. The most common symptoms were oral lesions and generalized lymphadenopathy. A study of all blood donors at a public hospital in Bangkok found a rate of window-period donors of 23.6/100000 donors. AIDS vaccines will be field tested in Thailand in 1995. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is working with the Thai government to prevent and control HIV/AIDS.