AIDS blamed for fall in life expectancy in Thailand
[Source: The Nation, July 9, 2003]

Life expectancy for the average Thai has fallen- from 7-.3 years to 68.9 years, according to the latest UN Human Development Report (HDP), released worldwide yesterday.

Lack of access to anti-retroviral drugs for Thais with AIDS is the prime reason life expectancy has gone down in Thailand. Only about 10,000 of an estimated 700,000 people with HIV/AIDS have access to the powerful drugs needed to prolong their lives, UNDP spokesmen said in Bangkok last week.

The drop in life expectancy caused Thailand?s international ranking on the UNDP?s Human Development Index to fall to 74, from 70 last year.

Among ASEAN nations, Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia beat Thailand in the index with rankings of 28, 31 and 58 respectively. The Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma) all scored well below Thailand.

Combating HIV/AIDS is one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) agreed to by 191 nations at the UN General Assembly in 2000. All signatories committed themselves to achieve the goals by 2015. Besides eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, the goals include achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality and improving maternal health, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.

The UNDP noted that although Thailand had done well in controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS, about one million people had been infected since the beginning of the epidemic. About one-fourth of those infected have already died, but given the long time lag after infection, more and more people are dying.

The number of people infected has decreased from about 143,000 people during the peak year in 1991 to nearly 24,000 people last year. According to the United Nations Population Division, some 700,000 people are now living with the disease in Thailand.

Thailnd?s fall in the HDI rankings follows the trend in Africa. From 1990 to 2001, 21 countries saw a drop in their HDI position. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa experienced a dramatic fall in life expectancy because of severe HIV.AIDS rates.

?Thailand?s ranking would have dropped further if it were not for an improvement in school enrolments, which offset the negative impact of the fall in life expectancy,? the UNDP stated.

posted by Prawate at Thursday, July 10, 2003