KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) have expressed deep concern over the recent increase in HIV cases among university students, as reported by the Ministry of Higher Education. Dr. Dinesh Mahalingam, Vice President of MAC, highlighted that this issue extends beyond university students, with a general rise in sexual transmission of HIV predominantly affecting the younger population. This necessitates targeted and comprehensive interventions.
In partnership with the Ministry of Health, MAC and MAF are enhancing accessibility to critical HIV services through an outreach model that utilizes community healthcare workers. These workers link at-risk individuals, including young students, to high-impact services such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing. Despite significant advancements like PrEP, which reduces sexual transmission of HIV by 99%, stigma remains a major barrier, especially for young people hesitant to seek services.
MAC and MAF are focused on destigmatizing HIV and encouraging regular testing among young people. Additionally, Dr. Dinesh proposed lowering the HIV testing age from 18 to 16 to enable early detection and treatment, improve health outcomes, and address the reality of younger adolescents at risk of HIV.
