COMMENT In response to a recent Malaysiakini report , ‘Minister: LGBT linked to mental disorder, HIV/Aids’, we wish to shed light on the current HIV and Aids situation in Malaysia and address commonly held misconceptions about the epidemic.

From a total of 105,189 HIV infections reported between 1986 and 2014, 64 percent or 67,454 cases were attributed to unsafe drug injections among people who use drugs. Heterosexual transmission accounted for 22 percent (22,942), while homo-/bisexual transmission 5 percent (4,799) of the same cumulative figure.

Ever since the harm reduction strategy - comprising the needle and syringe exchange programme and opiate substitution therapy - was introduced by the government of Malaysia to combat the HIV crisis among people who use drugs in 2006, there has been a 40 percent decline in the number of new HIV infections annually, from 5,830 cases in 2006 to 3,517 (2014).

However, in contrast to this declining trend, the female-to-male ratio of new HIV infections continues to rise yearly over the past decade, from 1:10 in 2005 to 1:4 (2014), increasing women’s and girls’ vulnerability to HIV.

The introduction of free first line antiretrovirals in 2006 has also significantly reduced the number of AIDS related deaths, allowing people living with HIV in Malaysia to lead normal productive lives.

In spite of these achievements, misconceptions about HIV and Aids continue to hamper discourses, interventions and policies that would further advance the national Aids response.

As shown in the above data, we wish to reiterate that HIV and Aids is a public health concern that does indeed affect all groups of society. The data also dispels the misconception about the cause-and-effect relationship between HIV and Aids and being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

Misconceptions breed fear, stigma and discrimination, major barriers for people living with HIV and other key populations - people who use drugs, sex workers, transgender people and men who have sex with men - to achieving equitable access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

Reduction of stigma and discrimination

This is recognised by the Health Ministry of Malaysia in its National Strategic Plan for Ending Aids 2016-2030 who has thus identified reduction of stigma and discrimination as one of the four priority programmes in the next 15-year phase of the Aids response.

We join the Health Ministry of Malaysia in its urging for an end to stigma and discrimination, and effort to address these barriers as a cross-cutting issue via appropriate forums and multi-sectoral collaborations and engagements with civil society and law enforcement authorities.

The successes of our national Aids response underscore the value of an evidence and rights-based public health approach to the Aids epidemic that encompasses harm reduction, a non-stigmatising and non-judgmental strategy that respects a person’s dignity and rights to life, health, safety and protection.

Community engagement is also key to these successes, which cannot be achieved if our key populations continue to be driven underground due to fear, stigma and discrimination arising from such prevailing misconceptions.

The Aids response is a shared responsibility that seeks the urgent involvement of individuals, communities, healthcare providers, religious leaders and policy makers to realise their roles in contributing positively towards ending stigma and discrimination, and strengthening linkages to HIV and Aids healthcare services.

Minister: LGBT linked to mental disorder, HIV/Aids

The Malaysian Aids Council (MAC) was established in 1992 to serve as an umbrella organisation to support and coordinate the efforts of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working on HIV and Aids issues in Malaysia.