Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Homosexual intercourse now main transmitter of HIV in Malaysia, says health ministry

KUALA LUMPUR — Nearly two in three new cases of HIV transmissions in 2018 resulted from male homosexual intercourse, according to Malaysia's health ministry.

Unprotected sex, both heterosexual and homosexual, now account for over nine in 10 HIV cases detected in Malaysia in 2018.

Unprotected sex, both heterosexual and homosexual, now account for over nine in 10 HIV cases detected in Malaysia in 2018.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

KUALA LUMPUR — Nearly two in three new cases of HIV transmissions in 2018 resulted from male homosexual intercourse, according to Malaysia's health ministry.

In an infographic, the ministry depicted the changes in the disease’s transmission methods since the 1990s. The graphic only displayed percentages, without including the number of cases.

According to the ministry’s post, intravenous drug use had been the main method of transmission three decades ago, accounting for 61 per cent of cases. Sexual activity, both heterosexual and homosexual, had accounted for just 5 per cent.

This was previously attributed to the drug epidemic at the time, coupled with poor awareness about the dangers of needle sharing and reuse among intravenous drug users.

Authorities later embarked on nationwide needle-and-syringe exchange programmes that formed the bulwark of harm reduction efforts.

Such efforts have paid off. In 2018, intravenous drug use accounted for just 3 per cent of new HIV transmissions. “Other” sources, which included blood transfusions and mother-infant transmissions, also fell from 34 per cent in the 1990s to 3 per cent last year.

However, the effectiveness of the government’s efforts in addressing intravenous drug use and improving blood screening has shifted the focus towards unprotected sex.

Unprotected sex, both heterosexual and homosexual, now account for over nine in 10 cases detected in 2018.

Male homosexual intercourse accounted for 57 per cent of the cases, while heterosexual encounters were responsible for 37 per cent.

The ministry released the information on Malaysia's transmission trends ahead of World AIDS Day on Dec 1. MALAY MAIL

Related topics

Health

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.