HIV Infections Among University & School Students on the Rise, Mostly Due to Sexual Activities

Cases of HIV infection among university and school students are increasing, with most of them contracting the infection due to sexual activities.

The Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF), Dr Zaiton Yahaya, said that most of them are aged between 20 to 29 years, making up 44% of those detected with HIV.

“For school students aged 13 to 19 years, four percent of them have been confirmed to have HIV, mostly due to sexual activities.”

“The highest group is school and university graduates, who are unaware of the risk of infection. However, HIV cases due to drug use are seen to be decreasing because we frequently conduct awareness programs on the dangers of sharing needles,” she shared.

“Due to the increasing HIV infections from sexual activities, we are enhancing awareness programmes so that patients know where to go and where to get help,” she said.

Dr Zaiton said that due to the significant increase in this young group, various awareness programmes on HIV infection are being conducted in schools and universities.

According to the latest MOH statistics, 135,035 HIV patients have been recorded from 1986 to 2023, with 54,365 people contracting it through sexual transmission.

More surprisingly, eight new HIV infections involve children under the age of 13.

The latest records show that 62% of HIV infections are from homosexual and bisexual groups, while 33% are from heterosexual couples.

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Also read: MOH: 90% of HIV Cases in Malaysia are Men, ‘YOLO’ Mentality to Blame for Rise in Infections Among Young Males