Military concerned at HIV/Aids
About 0.5 per cent of Army conscripts have HIV or Aids, with most based in Bangkok and Rayong, a military report has revealed.
The Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Science and the Royal Thai Army Medical Department say 4,152 of the 29,540 conscripts and 4,299 volunteers who joined the Army since May 2004 have HIV. The number was found to be increasing in Bangkok and Rayong. "However, the study found that an increasing number of those having their first sexual encounters were using condoms," Lt-General Boonlert Chantrapas, chief of the department, said. Boonlert said most of the conscripts were infected with HIV before they were recruited into the Army. "We are doing the utmost to prevent Aids among soldiers," he said. Boonlert said the Army distributed condoms to soldiers in all military units before they leave camp and advised them to always carry them. The Army was also continually providing doctors to educate Army trainers and soldiers about HIV/Aids. "The Public Health Ministry should give importance to educating youths in schools about sex to try to reduce the problem," he said.
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