Title: The control and prevention of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia

Biography:

Abstract

Key-words: HIV-epidemic; Control and Prevention; National Task Force; political-support; workable-policies; undivided-participation; perseverance; milestones; People who inject drugs (PWID); female sex-workers (FSW); transgender-people (TG); men who have sex with men (MSM); people living with HIV (PLHIV); HIV/AIDS-related deaths; antiretroviral; National Strategic Plan (NSP 2010 – 2015); at-risk populations; co-infections; financing; psycho-social factors; HIV-care; MDG6-target; enhanced focus-areas

Introduction

Malaysia has been grappling with Control of the HIV-epidemic in its Prevention since the first-case in 1985 and since the National Task Force was established just before that – and, has seen some success. Strong political-support, workable-policies, undivided-participation and perseverance has been the mainstay.

Aim

The Aim of this Paper/Presentation is to describe the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in Malaysia in a literature-review along with the process of planning, policy-making, implementation, and evaluation of Control and Prevention programs in Malaysia since then, besides the constraints.

Results

By 2015, Malaysia has successfully halved new-infections from 2000.

Major milestones in the country’s responses to HIV/AIDS, and the corresponding infection-rates are noted.

People who inject drugs (PWID), female sex-workers (FSW), transgender-people (TG) and men who have sex with men (MSM) represent the country’s most affected by the epidemic. There are an estimated 92,895 people living with HIV (PLHIV) at the end of 2015.

New HIV-infection has declined by 50%, while the number of HIV/AIDS-related deaths has stabilized. Availability and accessibility of antiretroviral has been enhanced since it became a component of care, treatment and prevention in 1990.

The pattern has shifted from PWID to increasingly more sexual-transmission.

The National Strategic Plan (NSP 2010 – 2015) addresses the vulnerable and at-risk populations, co-infections, financing, and psycho-social factors.

Conclusions

Malaysia has achieved the MDG6-target on HIV. But there is still a huge-gap in HIV-treatment, care and prevention coverage. This gap continues as enhanced focus-areas in the new strategic plan to end AIDS by 2030.