Phuket tops list for AIDS in pregnant women

PHUKET: The island has Thailand’s highest rate of HIV infection in pregnant women, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office, Dr Boonrieng Chuchaisangrat, has revealed. He said that of every 100 woman going to the province’s hospitals for pre-natal care or to give birth, four test positive for the deadly disease. Dr Boonrieng stressed that all government departments should make efforts to ensure that newly-married couples understand the importance of taking blood tests before embarking on sexual relations, and of always using condoms. He also urged as many people as possible to join AIDS Day activities from December 1 to 3 at the Lan Nawamin in Phuket Town. Thailand currently has about 1.3 million recorded cases of HIV infection or AIDS. Phuket has the second-highest rate of HIV infection in southern Thailand and the fifth-highest in Thailand, after Phayao, Ranong, Chiang Rai and Rayong.