Know the facts of HIV

IN response to a recent online newspaper report headlined “Minister: LGBT linked to mental disorder, HIV/AIDS”, we wish to shed light on the current HIV and AIDS situation in Malaysia and address commonly held misconceptions about the epidemic.

From a total of 105,189 HIV infections reported between 1986 and 2014, 64% or 67,454 cases were attributed to unsafe drug injections among people who use drugs. Heterosexual transmission accounted for 22% (22,942), while homo/bisexual transmission 5% (4,799) of the same cumulative figure.