2002

Review of effort to fight disease urged: More children being orphaned by scourge: Bangkok Post - December 31, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; The National Aids Prevention and Control Commission has urged the government to review strategies in coping with HIV/Aids, in response to an alarming increase in the number of children orphaned by the deadly virus. Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisaeng said all state agencies working on HIV/Aids needed to put more e
US accused of stalling WTO attempt to help poor countries: Humanitarian causes 'ignored' to protect big drug companies: Bangkok Post - December 27, 2002; Public health activists have criticised the United States for stalling a bid by the World Trade Organisation to forge a system for giving poorer countries access to cheap medicines. I m not surprised because the US has a tendency to act this way, said Rosana Tositrakul, coordinator of the Thai Holistic Health Foundatio
Ministry begins testing GPO-Vir: Anti-retroviral to be used at 400 hospitals: Bangkok Post - Friday, December 20, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; The Public Health Ministry has begun human trials of GPO-Vir, an anti-retroviral cocktail for treating HIV/Aids that was devised by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO). Under a programme jointly supported by the government and the Global Aids Fund, some 13,000 HIV/Aids carriers at 400 hospitals nationwide
Students sell their bodies for a quick buck: Foreigners aim young to cut HIV, drugs risk: Bangkok Post - December 15, 2002; Witchayant Bunchot; More and more high school and college students in Hat Yai are earning quick money in the sex trade, with some becoming rented wives for foreigners. Singaporean and Malaysian men sponsor teenage students as their sex partners because the risk of being infected with the deadly HIV virus is considered lower than from wome
EDITORIAL: Poor countries need affordable medicines: Bangkok Post - December 14, 2002; The recent warning from UNAIDS that 42 million people are HIV-positive and that this figure could double by 2010, is a new reminder of the public health danger to us all. It should help convince member states of the World Trade Organisation to meet the yearend deadline for forging a deal on cheap medicines for poorer c
Turning tragedy into triumph: Japanese firm sees employee's illness as opportunity to raise awareness: Bangkok Post - December 9, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; When his employers discovered the illness from which he was suffering was a result of him being HIV-positive, 26-year-old Somchai feared he would lose his position within the Japanese electronics firm and become a subject of discrimination for his colleagues. Somchai learned of his HIV status after a check-up at Navana
Easing the pain with kindness: Bangkok Post - December 1, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; A TAO fund, no matter how meagre, is helping HIV-infected children in the North. Grandpa Lad Thanuchan, 70, did not know much about HIV/Aids when it struck his family years ago. His only son and youngest daughter are today being worn down by the virus, which has already killed their spouses. His second daughter also su
Prison to open doors to inmates' relatives: Convicts volunteer to care for patients: Bangkok Post - December 1, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; Lat Yao Prison in Bang Khen will open its doors this month to relatives and friends of terminally-ill Aids prisoners so that inmates can spend their last days with loved ones. John Lertwitworapong, director of Lat Yao Prison s Central Hospital in Nonthaburi, has started a hospice programme to mark World Aids Day today.
Anti-Aids strategy needs to be reviewed: Call to provide clean needles to drug users: Bangkok Post - Wednesday, November 27, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; Thailand and other Asian countries should consider giving clean needles to intravenous drug users to combat the HIV/Aids epidemic, a United Nations agency said yesterday. As a major strategy in fighting HIV/Aids, Asian governments needed to urgently review their drug control policies by considering harm reduction pro
90,000 people infected in city, 635,000 nationwide: Bangkok Post - November 26, 2002; Supapan Danthaola; Bangkok is home to about 90,000 people with HIV/Aids, according to the latest estimate by the city s Aids Control Division. The division based its estimate partly on the number of cases reported by 48% of the health care establishments in the capital, said Eiam Vimutisunthorn, director-general of the Health Department.
Ministry to expand drugs plan: Many dump cocktails due to bad reactions: Bangkok Post - November 22, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; The Ministry of Public Health will press ahead with plans to expand its anti-retroviral drugs programme for HIV/Aids patients, despite a 50% drop in demand. Speaking after a meeting with Aids activists, permanent secretary Vallop Thainua said patients had stopped coming to pick up the cocktail of Aids drugs prescribed
Accord reached on cheap drugs for poor: Just publicity stunt, says Aids activist: Bangkok Post - Saturday, November 16, 2002; Charoen Kittikanya – Sydney, Aphaluck Bhatiasevi - Bangkok; Trade ministers from 25 countries including Thailand have agreed to work towards making medicines affordable to poor countries at low costs. But an Aids activist in Bangkok shrugged off the agreement, calling it a publicity stunt . At a World Trade Organisation mini-summit, the trade ministers agreed to press for chang
Immunitor excluded from 30-baht scheme: FDA asked to approve HIV-1 Immunogen: Bangkok Post - November 12, 2002; The Public Health Ministry has declined to include the V-1 immunitor, used by Aids and HIV patients, in the universal health care coverage scheme. Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said the government s 30-baht health programme recognised only medicines and the criteria effectively excluded V-1 and other food supplements fro
Inventor of V-1 threatens suit after patients 'lose faith' : Foundation's claims 'led to early deaths': Bangkok Post - October 25, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Vichai Jirathitikal, inventor of V-1 Immunitor, wants to sue the Salang Bunnag Foundation for telling the public that his food supplement cannot cure HIV/Aids. Three months ago, doctors volunteering at the foundation accused Mr Vichai of exaggerating V-1 s benefits and breaching an agreement that it be distributed free
Payments boost local drug makers: Cash will be spent on pills made here: Bangkok Post - October 24, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; Money from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria will help local drug manufacturers make medicines to fight the diseases. Thailand has been promised US$109 million (4.68 billion baht) to fight Aids and another $13 million for tuberculosis control within nine years, starting this year. The governme
Staff moves 'may be sinister': Bangkok Post - October 19, 2002; Ampa Santimetaneedol; Senior public health staff have been moved to inactive positions, possibly to get rid of them, says a health activist. Rosana Tositrakul, coordinator of the Thai Holistic Health Foundation, said Suvit Wibulpolprasert, deputy permanent secretary, had been moved to an academic post; Vichai Chokevivat, secretary-general o
GPO to soon make tablet form of ddI : Thailand, Zambia explore drug plant: Bangkok Post - October 19, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation will start making a tablet form of the anti-Aids drug didanosine (ddI) in three months, director Thongchai Thavichachart has said. The decision comes after an Oct 1 ruling by the Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court limiting the exclusive rights of
House panel to put V-1 under microscope: Bangkok Post - October 9, 2002; The House justice and human rights committee has agreed to set up an independent agency to test if the food supplement V-1 Immunitor is effective against Aids after discovering the conditions of some patients in Chumpon had improved while taking the drug. The panel received a petition last week from a nurse connected t
Activists seek help against US drug firm: Legal fight continues over ddI patent rights: Bangkok Post - October 5, 2002; Aphaluck Bhatiasevi; Aids activists yesterday called on the Public Health Ministry to join them in a second lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb over its patent rights on the sale of anti-Aids drug didanosine, or ddI. The activists plan to file another lawsuit on Wednesday to have the US-based firm s patent rights on ddI revoked, after the
Penniless mum gets help after suicide call: Neighbour learns of plan, appeals for aid: Bangkok Post - October 4, 2002; Onnucha Hutasing; Siemngek sae Ngao, a penniless mother no longer able to take care of her HIV-infected son, threatened to kill herself yesterday, and might have done so had her neighbour not learned of her plan. Her son s illness had cost him his job and their income. It also threatened to force them out of their home. Neighbours told
Court ruling will mean cheaper pills: Bangkok Post - Wednesday 02 October 2002; A Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court ruled yesterday to remove the exclusive right of Bristol-Myers Squibb to sell an Aids drug in Thailand . The court ruled in favour of three plaintiffs - two Aids patients and an activist group - and said the US firm would have the exclusive right to produce
Drop in population of Phayao province blamed on spread of Aids: Bangkok Post - Monday September 30, 2002; The spread of HIV/Aids had led to a significant drop in the population of Phayao province, Deputy Public Health Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said yesterday. The population of the northern province had been falling since 1998 due to the rate of Aids infections among residents, particularly those of working age, he said
Pharmacies face ban on sale of drugs: Hospitals, clinics sole anti-retroviral outlets: Bangkok Post - Monday 16 September 2002; The National Drugs Commission will ban pharmacies from supplying sufferers of HIV and Aids with anti-retrovirals, which will subsequently only be available from the clinics at which they are prescribed. Under the move, doctors and nurses at hospitals and clinics nationwide will receive urgent training in caring for tho
Link to Aids death denied: Bangkok Post - Thursday 12 September 2002; A Bangkok hospital has denied it caused the death of a six-year-old girl who died of Aids this month, allegedly as a result of vaccination shots given soon after birth. Wachira Hospital director Thani Boonaoprasit said the girl might have received the allegedly fatal jabs elsewhere as there were no records to confirm s
V-1 worked for 22 patients, GP insists: Turned HIV-negative after taking food pills: Bangkok Post - Thursday 05 September, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; A doctor who studied a group of HIV-infected patients taking V-1 Immunitor insisted yesterday that the food supplement could turn patients HIV status from positive to negative. Oraphan Methadilokkul, an expert in occupational and environmental medicine at Rajavithi Hospital, said the result came from an 14-month follow
Immunitor didn't work, say doctors: Study shows patients worsened, some died: Bangkok Post - Friday 30 August 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Ban Bangpakong clinic s former public-relations officer Pramual Talampang, second right, holds the son of an Aids patient from Tanzania , right, during a meeting yesterday with Deputy Public Health Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, far left. Mr Surapong confirmed V-1 Immunitor was not effective in combating Aids, despite
'Lemon man' warns more checks needed: Tests on primates, then on women: Bangkok Post - August 12, 2002; Apiradee Treerutkuarkul; The traditional practice of using lemon juice as a contraceptive and its possible use to ward off HIV/Aids infection needs careful study before it can be recommended, researchers say. Roger V Short, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Melbourne, said a team of scientists had just completed init
Ministry issues warning over use of lime as contraceptive: Sudarat says research in Australia unproven: Bangkok Post - Saturday 10 August, 2002; The Public Health Ministry has downplayed reports from Australia claiming lime juice could be used as an effective contraceptive, warning the nation not to trust the research until it has been scientifically proven, and to remain faithful to condoms. According to the reports, placing thin slices of lime, or cotton soak
Vaccines face their biggest test: Bangkok Post - Monday, July 8, 2002; Anjira Assavandona; Thailand has the rare opportunity to take centre stage at the 14th International Conference on Aids which began yesterday in Barcelona. A representative of the Public Health Ministry will present to the world a plan to launch the biggest community-based HIV vaccine trial ever held. The trial, set tentatively to b
It's crunch time in the Aids war: Bangkok Post - Monday, July 8, 2002; The world s biggest conference on Aids and HIV opened yesterday morning in Barcelona. There are decidedly mixed reviews due at the meeting, which marks 21 years since the discovery and battle began against the world s most terrible epidemic. The news from Thailand is decidedly positive. But it would be a serious error
Drug cocktails cut mum-baby infection: Rate of transmission falls to less than 5%: Bangkok Press - Friday, July 5, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry yesterday revealed the findings from a study of the use of combined anti-retroviral drugs to reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission. The study, which started last year, was conducted by the Health Services Department with the help of American and French experts. Siriporn Kanchana
Aids remains leading killer in country: Disease spreading rapidly globally: Bangkok Post - Wednesday, July 3, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Aids remains Thailand s leading cause of death, with one in every 100 of the 63.6 million population being infected, despite well-funded and comprehensive prevention programmes, says a UNAids report. The UN report on the global HIV/Aids epidemic was released worldwide yesterday, ahead of the 14th International Aids Con
Miracle cure nothing but fraud, says FDA: Checks find evidence against distributor: Bangkok Post - June 26, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The company which distributes the herbal medicine Stree Tra Dokkoon as a miracle cure for HIV/Aids is acting illegally and trying to deceive the public, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday. Secretary-general Vichai Chokeviwat announced the ruling after FDA inspectors went to check out PK Anti-Virus company
Temple cure for Aids to face investigation: Medical properties of drug exaggerated: Bangkok Post - June 25, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry will investigate the temple in Kanchanaburi and a drug company accused of promoting a herbal medicine as a miracle cure for Aids. The Network for People Living with HIV/Aids earlier filed a complaint to the Communicable Diseases Control Department, accusing Nong Sam Phran Temple and P.K.Anti-
Temple under fire in Aids row: Selling 'miracle' cure for B3,000 a month: Bangkok Post - June 24, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda Phaiboon Chongcharoen; The Network for People Living with HIV/Aids says a drug company and a temple in Kanchanaburi are portraying a herbal brew as a miracle cure for Aids. It has asked the Communicable Diseases Control Department to investigate. An Aids patient who contacted the network said friends of hers had responded to a job advertisem
Large-scale testing of new vaccine: Greater community involvement urged: Bangkok Post - June 19, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry was told yesterday to be more open to community involvement in its large-scale phase 3 trial of an HIV candidate vaccine, which is to involve 16,000 Thai volunteers in Rayong and Chon Buri by the end of this year. Lack of transparency in the past had led to abuses and even mistreatment of vol
Villagers refuse to let five girls attend school: Unreasonable fear of contamination cited: Bangkok Post - June 16, 2002; Yuthapong Kamnodnae; Though their community was awarded for having an outstanding kamnan and public health volunteers, tambon Non Sung in Muang district is certainly not willing to put up with Aids sufferers. With resistance from 86 villagers, five HIV-infected girls were kicked out of Ban Khao Sarn School three days after they arrived the
Vaccine developer's financial health poor: First-quarter loss for Immune Response: Bangkok Post - June 10, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Immune Response Corp, US manufacturer of Remune, the controversial HIV/Aids therapeutic candidate vaccine under trial in Thailand , has suffered financial losses which could severely affect its operation. The Los Angeles Times said auditors for Immune Response Corp had questioned the company s ability to stay in busine
Bid to raise level of counselling: All general hospitals to get service by 2006: Bangkok Post - June 6, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Mental Health Department will push ahead with its plans to introduce counselling for HIV/Aids patients at public hospitals nationwide by 2006. Pravej Tantipiwatanasakul, director of Mental Health Development Office, said yesterday providing counselling to those uncertain about their HIV/Aids status was one of the m
PUBLIC HEALTH: Global fund allocates B5.72bn to govt's war on deadly diseases: Aids, malaria and tuberculosis targeted: Bangkok Post - May 3, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Thailand will receive US$133 million (5.72 billion baht) from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) to run a five-year programme for prevention and treatment of the deadly diseases. The money has been approved for Thailand s projects planned for 2002-2006, said Public Health Minister Sudarat
Researcher says Remune has a 60% success rate; Next phase of trials approved, says Vina: Bangkok Post - May 3, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Researchers of HIV-1 Immunogen, or Remune, the controversial HIV/Aids therapeutic vaccine which has been treated with skepticism by an evaluation panel, insist that the vaccine has shown a 60% success rate in improving the lives of HIV-infected volunteers. Their backing comes amid recent reports that the manufacturer w
FDA wants vaccine to get a fair go: Remune should have chance to prove itself: Bangkok Post - April 30, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Food and Drug Administration insisted yesterday that transparency will be maintained in its consideration whether to register Remune, an unapproved HIV/Aids therapeutic candidate vaccine being tested in Thailand . Trinity Medical Group (TMG), the joint developer and distributor of the vaccine in Southeast Asia, has
Bid to push trial drug into domestic market: Firm wants to bypass requirements of FDA: Bangkok Post - April 29, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; HIV-1 Immunogen, the unapproved HIV/Aids therapeutic candidate vaccine being tested in Thailand , has stirred another controversy with its developer seeking a short cut through the Food and Drug Administration to get the vaccine sold legally on the Thai market. Information has been leaked from the
Blessings for inmates with HIV: Simple ceremony brings sense of peace: Bangkok Post - Sunday 14 April 2002; Onnucha Hutasingha; While Songkran revellers on the outside fire at each other with powerful water guns, not a single drop of water is wasted at Bangkok s Klong Prem prison. Water is too precious to be wasted, said Jon Lerwitworangpong, director of Corrections Central hospital in Klong Prem Prison, while presiding over a traditional Songk
Burmese face HIV checks before return: Bangkok Post - Thursday 11 April 2002; Illegal labourers from Burma will be screened for HIV, and those who test positive will be repatriated separately from returnees with a clean bill of health, Surakiart Sathirathai, foreign minister, was quoted as saying yesterday. The agreement was reached during talks on the return of immigrant labourers without work
Elderly battle alone with orphaned victims: Treatment, research focus on the young: Bangkok Post - Tuesday 09 April 2002; The soft-spoken, 72-year-old Thai farmer kept a straight face as he told the story of how, seven years ago, his son and daughter-in-law became infected with Aids and died. But when Duangkaew Songkaew recalled how the epidemic struck his granddaughter _ how he washed her wounds and blisters and walked long distances to
Widows could be spreading HIV-Aids, warns Purachai: 'Teenage' streetgirls not really so young: Bangkok Post - Tuesday 02 April 2002; Apiradee Treerutkuarkul; Fun-loving men should beware of catching Aids from women who have been widowed and turned to prostitution, the interior minister warned yesterday. Purachai Piumsombun said these women were older and could have been infected with HIV by their late spouses but remain unaware of it. His comment follows a police crackdown
Living with 'invisible shackles': Bangkok Post - Monday 25 March 2002; Kamolvat Prapruettitum; Happy Lounge I looks typical of any Bangkok nightclub. Bargirls from all over Thailand greet customers as they enter. They pour us beer. They sit and talk. We could be in any go-go bar on the entertainment strips of Suthisarn, Ratchadapisek or the notorious Soi Cowboy. In fact, the nightclub is 1,500 kilometres south
Cocktail drug on sale next month: Cheapest anti-viral relief in the world: Bangkok Post - Friday 22 March 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Thailand s first locally-produced anti-Aids cocktail drug goes on sale early next month. Made by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), the drug, GPO-VIR, is a triple combination of anti-viral drugs Stavudine 30-40 mg, Lamivudine 150 mg and Nevirapine 200 mg.
New treatment drug in market: But will remain out of a poor man's reach: Bangkok Post - Wednesday 20 March 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Renowned Thai physicians in HIV/Aids treatment yesterday confirmed the use of Kaletra , a new anti-retroviral drug, as another good alternative for Aids sufferers. The information on this new drug was fed to health professionals at a medical seminar on ``Redefining the Art of HIV Management organised by the Thai Aids
Trial to be conducted on 100 patients suffering from HIV/Aids: Critics say tests are unethical: Bangkok Post - March 13, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; Physicians at Rajavithi hospital are preparing for a trial of V-1 Immunitor on more than 100 people infected with HIV/Aids. The trial would be spearheaded by Dr Oraphan Methadilokkul, chief of the Office of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the hospital, who earlier carried out a study on hundreds of patients
Ministry aims to halt spread of disease among workers: Bangkok Post - Tuesday 12 March 2002; Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said her ministry is trying to find ways to stop the spread of communicable diseases among foreign labourers. She chaired a meeting of hospital directors and provincial public health chiefs yesterday to work out strategies to control the spread of epidemics among alien workers
Distributors of V-1 pills warned again: It is not a magic dose for the deadly disease: Bangkok Post - March 2, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry has issued a second warning to the distributors of the V-1 Immunitor pill not to exaggerate its effectiveness as the product is merely a food supplement and not an HIV-Aids treatment drug. Deputy Health Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said yesterday if it is proven that the product s Aids-fight
Encouraging results seen from vaccine: Two-in-one phase three trials soon: Bangkok Post - March 1, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The development of a new HIV/Aids vaccine, in which Thailand has been involved from the very beginning, has shown encouraging results and is likely to go for clinical trials on humans. The vaccine, developed for HIV-1 Subtype-E virus which is common among Thai and other Asian Aids carriers, is a result of the internati
EDITORIAL: New front opens in the Aids fight: Bangkok Post - Tuesday 26 February 2002; Anew and troubling tide of drug use by young people threatens all the gains that Thailand has made in fighting Aids and the virus that causes it. The new data is from the Johns Hopkins University team that has been tracking Aids in Thailand. Researchers caution against drawing dramatic conclusions. But their latest fig
Rally at ministry supported by 200: Aids sufferers call for policy clarification: Bangkok Post - February 20, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; More than 200 protesters rallied at the Public Health Ministry yesterday to demand clarity over the alleged HIV cure, V-1 immunitor. The protesters were mostly Aids sufferers being treated with V-1 immunitor by Ban Bangpakong clinic. Some wore T-shirts bearing messages such as V-1 Immunitor: A victory for Thais and th
Budget to treat more patients: Ministry hopes to add B250 million: Bangkok Post - Saturday 02 February 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry will add 250 million baht to its budget to treat more Aids sufferers with anti-retroviral drugs under the 30-baht medical care scheme. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said a criteria would be set by the committee screening Aids patients to determine who would be given priority for t
Ministry says parents need to learn lot more about sex: Schools expected to pass on knowledge: Bangkok Post - February 1, 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; The Public Health Ministry will provide sex education courses for parents so they can pass on details to their offspring. The project would start early this month in 50 Bangkok districts and expand nationwide within two years, with priority given to secondary schools. Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said mini
Human security under threat: Worrying situation in Greater Mekong: Bangkok Post - Tuesday 22 January 2002; Anjira Assavanonda; HIV/Aids was pointed yesterday as a common threat to human security in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) where the spread of the deadly disease is considerably high along the border. The fears were raised at the Intersessional Meeting of the Human Security Network on Human Security and HIV/Aids hosted by the Foreign

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