Over 70 percent of Thailand's youth have little knowledge about the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a senior public health official revealed Wednesday, quoting recent surveillance reports.
Paichit Varachit, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, said the rising risks of contracting AIDS among adolescents is now of concern as the social environment had changed swiftly.
A survey on knowledge about AIDS among Thai youth found only 23 percent of male teenagers and 26 percent of young females properly understand the development and seriousness of the disease, Paichit was quoted by Thai News Agency as saying.
That can partly explains the findings in a recently released AIDS surveillance report that some 50 percent of the total 321,650 AIDS patients in Thailand are currently aged between 25-34 years.
The results showed that many AIDS patients had contracted the deadly disease in adolescence and began to show signs of illness when they grew up and became adults, said Paichit
Surveys also showed the average age to engage in sexual activities among the youth is 15 years old, compared with the 18-year age level as indicated in an earlier survey, while only about half of young Thais use condoms when they have casual sexual encounters.
Paichit said such behavior might lead to problems such as contracting HIV and premature pregnancy, which not only deny the youth the opportunity for further education, but also impact on the family, community, society and eventually, the nation.
Source:Xinhua
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