Number of HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia remains above 3,000 incidences since 2008

In 2012, World Health Organization (WHO) classified Malaysia as “a concentrated epidemic country” in which there is still a high number of HIV/AIDS cases especially amongst injecting drug users, sex workers and the transgender community.

According to government data, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia had declined in the 2010s compared to the 2000s

The highest number of HIV/ AIDS cases were recorded in 2002 with a total of 6,978 incidences. In the same year, the percentage of women infected by the disease increased from 7.85 % to 9.01%.

Nevertheless, the majority of HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia were men. In 2001, the male to female ratio of HIV /AIDS cases was about 11:1.

However, a drastic improvement was witnessed throughout the years. The number of new HIV/AIDS cases among men was at 2,890 cases and 457 cases for the female counterparts.

From the statistics, the percentage of women getting HIV/AIDS continued to increase after 2002 with the highest recorded in 2013, at 21.48%.

Besides, the widespread of HIV/AIDS is no longer confined to drug users, sex workers and transgender community. People may develop the disease from their respective partners.

On a brighter note, Malaysia is the first nation in the Western Pacific region to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of both HIV and syphilis. This fact was officially validated by WHO.