Na-anya Jantrakas
(right), head of the health department’s Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, suggests improving sex education for children in all 29
Pattaya schools.
Warunya Thongrod
Seven public and private-sector organizations have
joined forces to help curtail what is being called a “considerable”
increase in Pattaya’s HIV and AIDS infection rate.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and officials from the
city’s Public Health and Environment and Education departments led the
March 21 meeting establishing the Health and AIDS Workers Network.
Na-anya Jantrakas, head of the health department’s
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the network - comprised
of the Chonburi Public Health Department, Baan Rak Phuan, Duang Pratheep
Foundation, the Pattaya Rak Center and AIDS groups Swing, Sister and Hon
- was crated to “resolve issues aggressively as the number of
HIV-infected individuals has increased considerably in Pattaya.”
Cooperation between organizations, she said, was
beneficial and that city hall will help smooth the operations between
the organizations “to allow swift and convenient work.”
Two reasons for the increase in HIV rates in Pattaya,
officials claimed, was a lack of large condoms for foreigners and
institutional discrimination against transvestites and transsexuals in
everything from their mention in school textbooks to the provision of
sexual education.
Health department officials said the highest rate of
HIV and AIDS currently is among women-of-the-second-category
prostitutes.
Network members said one of their goals would be to
improve sex education for children in Pattaya schools.
