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AIDS on the rise among boys and young men
View(s):A growing problem of HIV/AIDS being reported among young boys between the ages of 15 and 29 comes as an alert of unprotected same sex acts and young boys used as sex workers, Health Ministry’s National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) Director Dr. Sisira Liyanage said.
Thirty seven boys under the age of nine, seven boys between the age of 10 and 19 and 243 young men between the ages of 20 and 29 have been confirmed as HIV/AIDS patients.
At present there are 75 children below the age of 15 suffering from HIV/AIDS out of which the majority are boys.Dr. Liyanage said there is a need to take strict action against paedophiles, whether local or foreign. “A national council or a presidential task force to prevent HIV/AIDS is a much needed one. All authorities, from health to police, education, fisheries, prisons, children’s affairs ministry, tourism and foreign employment should work together with the help of grassroots level organisations,” he said.
Dr. Liyanage said that health awareness and providing free screening and providing antiretroviral drugs can be done by the NSACP but preventive measures require assistance from many agencies. “Whether they are tourist hotels or low-income settlements, whether the parents are unaware or consent is there, using a child is a crime and needs to be curbed. Informants should be rewarded,” he said.
He said failure in addressing the issue among risk groups, such as local tour guides especially in coastal tourist destinations, male sex workers, prison inmates, those having unsafe sex with female sex workers and those arriving from overseas employment is leading towards an increase in the number of cases.
“As homosexuality and prostitution are banned in the country, there is a difficulty in approaching or regulating the risk groups. There is a need for more grassroots level and community level awareness of the importance of safe-sex,” he said. At present there are 3,000 persons living with HIV/AIDS (both young and adults) with the majority being males. The first quarter of 2014, saw seven deaths and 51 fresh cases of HIV.
He said that high numbers of men come for screening especially to private hospitals and as a result more antiretroviral drugs are sent to these hospitals. Genital herpes, late syphilis, gonorrhoea and candidiasis are among the leading sexually transmitted diseases in the country.