KUALA TERENGGANU: A total of 33 HIV cases have been reported among homosexuals and bisexuals in 2017 compared to 27 in the previous year, said Terengganu Health Department director Dr Mohammad Omar.
“This is a cause for concern and we aim to take steps to address it,” he said after flagging off 290 participants of the Kembara Sihat Tanpa AIDS 2018 adventure quest, which aims to spread awareness about the virus and the disease.
He said the department is taking efforts to engage with those practising same sex relations, especially the transgender community.
“It isn’t an easy task. We need to take a softer approach to win their confidence before advising them on the risks on HIV.
“We cannot do this alone as it is a multi-agency effort,” he said, adding that it will be working with the state religious affairs department as well as relevant NGOs.
Separately, Dr Mohammad said there has been a continuous drop in HIV transmission via intravenous drug use. From 292 cases reported in 2010, the number of cases have dropped to 44 in 2017.
Dr Mohammad said this could be due to the department’s harm reduction programme, which includes methadone treatment as well as a needles exchange programme for drug users. There are 9,816 registered HIV cases in Terengganu.
thestar.
