Spread of HIV among the young highly likely

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The spread of HIV among Malaysian children will reach an alarming stage in five to 10 years if nothing is done to educate them now.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) representative to Malaysia Gaye Philips said statistics showed that children have been tested HIV-positive, which meant that there was a trend for the virus to spread among the young.
“They need knowledge, such as knowing the risks of unsafe sex and sharing of needles.
“I once asked a group of young people who are graduates if they know how to protect themselves against AIDS.
“They told me (that they would) wash their hands as many times as possible and eat a healthy diet,” she said after the launch of the Unite for Children, Unite Against Aids programme.
Phillips said the biggest challenge in fighting HIV/AIDS was to break the stigma.
“We cannot be complacent by thinking it is all right to be infected with HIV because there are drugs available.
“But the drugs cannot cure. They only prolong one’s life,” she said.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said 1,500 (2.3%) of the 65,000 HIV positive cases in Malaysia were those below 19.