Materia Medica Malaysiana

Malaysia looks for new approach to reduce AIDS cases

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaysia is looking for a more effective approach to reduce the AIDS infection rate in the country as the number of AIDS cases continues to escalate, a health official said here Thursday.
Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek said that his ministry would have a dialogue with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and relevant government agencies next month to find a new approach to tackle the problem.
"Compared to Australia, which has nearly the same population asMalaysia, the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in this country is thrice theirs," he told reporters after opening the 20th Scientific Conference of the Nutrition Society Malaysia here.
He said the number of people infected with HIV and AIDS in Malaysia now stood at 60,000, compared with only 20,000 in Australia, a developed nation that had a wider network to detect the disease.
He also said that presently the ministry did not propose to make it compulsory for couples who intend to get married to undergo HIV/AIDS tests.
The ministry preferred to look at the prevention aspects as such tests were not so effective in ascertaining that a person wasreally free from HIV and AIDS, he said.
"This is because each patient has a 'window period' where HIV and AIDS cannot be detected if his antibodies don't reach a certain level," he said.
A total of 7.9 billion ringgit (2.08 billion US dollars) were allocated in 2005 budget to upgrade health services to the Malaysians.