MINISTRY SETS UP TASK FORCE TO TACKLE HIV EPIDEMIC AMONG WOMEN

PETALING JAYA, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Health Ministry has set up a task force to study and draw up plans to tackle the HIV epidemic among women in the country.

Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the task force would focus on
heterosexual
HIV infection besides studying the mechanism and strategies recommended by the
World Health Organisation (WHO) to educate women on HIV and Aids especially HIV
prevention.

He said new HIV infections in women had seen an abrupt increase and made up
16.3 percent of all 80,938 cases reported last year.

"The trend is increasingly worrying. I hope my ministry as the coordinator
can make plans and the outcome is tabled before me not later than April next
year," he told reporters ater launching the national-level World Aids Day here
Tuesday.

Statistics issued by the ministry also showed that 75 percent of women HIV
patients reported last year were between 30 and 39 years old and 70 percent of
them were infected through heterosexual contact.

Besides, 60 percent of them were married women and 40 percent were
housewives.

Liow said efforts to educate and create awareness among women would be
intensified especially on their rights to ensure they were protected from HIV
infection.

He also urged the public to undergo HIV screenings so that early treatment
could be administered should they test positive.

"I hope the public will answer the ministry's call to have them screened to
determine their health status. If the test result is HIV positive, the
government will provide medical assistance," he said.

He said the public could undergo the test at any government hospital and
clinic.

-- BERNAMA