Kelantan state Assembly: 749 new HIV cases recorded

2009/10/26

Sulaiman Jaafar

Kelantan registered the highest number of new HIV cases in the country last year with 749 cases, said state women and family development and health committee chairman Wan Ubaidah Omar.

Replying to a question from Zulkifli Mamat (Pas-Pulau Chondong), Wan Ubaidah said there was a total of 84,630 HIV cases reported in the country up to the end of 2008.
She said it was worrying as the percentage for new cases in the State involving young adults aged from 20 to 29 years old stood at 25 percent in the period while those aged from 30 to 39 year old formed about 42 percent of the new cases.
"Another worrying trend is in the rise of infection from sexual transmissions from 19 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2008 while drug injections which contributed to 70 percent in 2003 has dropped to 23 percent.
"The increasing number of new cases from sexual transmissions has affected mostly women especially housewives. Women attributed to 19 percent of the new cases last year compared to 10 percent in 2003," she said.
Wan Ubaidah said the state government has taken several steps to curb the rise in new cases including introducing compulsory HIV screening for couples planning to get married and forming an action committee on HIV education and awareness to increase the awareness of the people on the dangers of HIV.
She said the committee which was still in the process would involved the co-operation from various government agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Wan Ubaidah did not agree to a suggestion by Zulkifli that the state government was not serious in combating HIV as it has not carry out any large scale programme.
"Kelantan was among the earliest after Johor to introduce compulsory screening and this showed our seriousness. Efforts to educate the people are being carried out by the Education Department and the state govermnent through its Halaqah division," she said.
Meanwhile, state human development, youth and sports committee chairman Fatah Mahmood told the sitting that the state government with the co-coperation of a local NGO has started a drug rehabilitation centre at Jeram Pasu, Pasir Puteh.
Replying to a question from Wan Yusoff Wan Mustafa (Pas-Gual Ipoh), Fatah said it was presently handling 101 inmates and a study by Universiti Sains Malaysia showed that it was among the best rehabilitation centres in the country.

"We plan to open up branches in the state has but there are financial constraints presently. We are looking into ways of raising income for the centre before other branches could be set up," he said.