HIV/AIDS Cases In Singapore Increasing; Health Agency Plans To Increase HIV/AIDS Education Efforts

The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in Singapore is increasing, with 149 new cases reported in the first six months of this year — an increase compared with the number of new cases reported in the same period last year — Channel NewsAsia reports. There were 317 new cases of HIV/AIDS reported in Singapore in 2005, according to Channel NewsAsia. Public health officials believe the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in Singapore is two to four times higher than the 2,852 reported cases because many HIV-positive people are not tested or seek antiretroviral treatment overseas because of stigma. In response to the spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic, the country’s Health Promotion Board plans to boost public education and outreach work in December by organizing road shows at shopping malls aimed at reducing stigma associated with the disease. The board also plans to host public forums to promote public dialogue about HIV/AIDS and to encourage more people to receive HIV tests. A two-day conference in Singapore on World AIDS Day — Dec. 1 — will include public symposiums focusing on youth, women and men who have sex with men. The conference also will include a business forum to address HIV/AIDS in the workplace. According to Channel NewsAsia, several organizations in Singapore — including the AIDS Business Alliance, RESPECT and Action for AIDS — are working to address HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the workplace and among youth (Channel NewsAsia, 11/15).

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