Brunei records highest number of HIV cases last year

Sally Piri
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI recorded the highest number of new HIV cases in a year with 28 cases reported in 2015, the president of Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council cited statistics from the Ministry of Health.

Iswandy Ahmad said out of the 28 cases, seven were women. “The increase in number of cases involving women represents a worrying trend as women represented only a very small minority of HIV cases in previous years.”

According to a report last year, 38 new HIV cases were reported from 2012 to 2014.

Speaking to The Brunei Times on the sidelines of the Red Ribbon Run 2016, Iswandy said based on the council’s observation, the rise in number of HIV cases was due to greater awareness about HIV among people and more people engaging in “risky behaviours”.

In a statement, Iswandy said the AIDS council has always maintained that the key is to involve government agencies and other stakeholders in responding to the HIV epidemic.

He said the council is concerned with the marked increase in the number of cases and believed that efforts spearheaded by the Ministry of Health to address this issue should have greater support from collaboration with other government agencies.

Efforts should focus on increasing awareness and education on prevention of HIV and sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), particularly among most at-risk groups, including youth and men who have sex with men.

“In this regard, BDAC believes that the introduction of comprehensive reproductive education in schools will play a big role in reducing the number of HIV cases in the long run,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

He added that comprehensive reproductive education is not only about pregnancy or STIs, but it also touches matters pertaining to life skills, youth empowerment, community development and family support.

At the same time, BDAC also believes that any response should respect and protect the rights of people living with HIV and most-at-risk populations who may suffer from discrimination and stigma based on their status, he said.

Md Rafee Isa, captain of Penyinar Club (youth wing of BDAC), said in a statement that young people need to step up and talk about issues concerning their health, including HIV and AIDS prevention.

“Bruneians are very lucky to have free or highly subsidised healthcare. Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of citizens of other countries who are infected with HIV/AIDS, they have to pay for their own medication and healthcare.

“This is why reproductive health knowledge and awareness is important so that we will not burden the country with unnecessary healthcare costs, which actually can be prevented in the first place,” he added.


Sumber - The Brunei Times