VIENTIANE: Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections have fallen by 12,000 over the past three years. Across the border in Laos, officials are tracking a similar pattern among young people, though on a smaller scale.
Thirteen of Thailand’s 77 provinces now record more than 10,000 cases each.
The Central region carries the heaviest burden, with Bangkok topping the list at 88,535 infections. Chonburi follows in second place with 31,072 cases, while Chiang Mai ranks third. Chiang Mai’s neighbouring Chiang Rai trails in fourth with 17,524 cases.
Youths aged 15 to 24 face the greatest risk, accounting for more than 25,000 cumulative cases.
Health officials attribute the trend largely to carelessness and inconsistent condom use.
Despite the high case count, treatment outcomes remain strong: authorities have diagnosed and registered virtually all known cases, and doctors have enrolled about 83 per cent of patients in antiretroviral therapy, with 76 per cent achieving viral suppression.
The World Health Organization confirmed that HIV still has no cure, but daily medication keeps patients healthy and makes the virus much harder to pass on. Left untreated, the disease moves through three stages: an early phase when it spreads easily, a longer phase that quietly weakens the immune system, and a final, most dangerous stage, AIDS.
Across the Mekong region, the picture varies.
Laos has yet to publish full 2026 figures, though authorities in the northern province of Oudomxay found 12 HIV-positive cases among 264 sex workers tested in July, an early signal of the trends likely to shape this year’s data.
Locals who shared their comments on social media believe that the real number of infections in Laos could be significantly higher than official figures suggest. Testing remains limited in many areas, and dozens or even hundreds of cases may be going undetected among people who have never been tested.
Laos recorded 1,617 new infections in the first nine months of 2025, with people aged 15 to 29 making up 29 per cent of cases, down from 2,463 cases in 2024; the country now counts an estimated 21,000 people living with HIV, the Lao Ministry of Health reports.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Health estimates 76,000 people living with HIV in a 2025 report, while UNAIDS estimates Vietnam’s caseload at roughly 270,000. - Loatian Times
