HIV/AIDS Convention 2005 For Youths

20 Aug 2005

By Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, and Health

Venue: Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Participants of today's convention

Good morning. It is my pleasure to be here for the HIV/AIDS Youth Convention 2005.

The first HIV patient in Singapore was diagnosed in 1985. Since then, more than 2500 persons have been diagnosed with the infection. WHO estimates that there are between 4000 to 5000 persons in Singapore who have HIV infection. Last year a record greater than 300 new cases were diagnosed.

World wide, UNAIDS estimates that about 40 million people are infected with HIV. AIDS continues to ravage the African continent, with 25 million people there being HIV-positive. China and India are two new emerging epicenters of HIV and we are located between these two giants. India has an estimated 5 million HIV positive cases. China, too, has roughly about the same number. HIV infection is emerging to become one of mankind's greatest challenges in first half of the 21st century.

In November last year, my Ministry raised the alarm about AIDS and HIV infection. Since then, we have made some progress.

First, there is now increased discussion about HIV/Aids in the media. This has increased the awareness about the problem.

Second, Singaporeans are responding to the call to fight HIV/Aids. Religious leaders have met with my Ministry and are supportive of our efforts to stop HIV infection. Big corporations like Standard Chartered are actively involved in AIDS education within their organizations. Staff from the Health Promotion Board tell me that companies are now more supportive of aids education talks at the workplace. Gay Singaporeans are helping my Ministry in our education effort to reach out to people at increased risk.

Third, the medical community is more involved in HIV detection and is helping de-stigmatize HIV in the medical setting. As a result, the antenatal HIV screening rate of pregnant mothers at our public sector hospitals has increased from under 30% last year to 98% in the first half of this year. In the first 3 months of this year, we detected 4 mothers who were HIV positive and started them on medication. As a result, their children were born free of the HIV infection.

Lastly, I am happy that youth are getting involved as shown by today's conference. It is critical that youth play a major role in bringing about the mindset change needed to manage the challenges posed by HIV infection.

Young people are vulnerable to AIDS. Locally, 1 teenager under 19 years was tested positive for HIV in first 6 months of 2005 bringing the total number of young people in the 10-19 age group who are HIV-positive to 19 as of June 2005. In addition, there are also 458 young people in the 20-29 age group who are infected.

The increasing numbers of HIV positive young people are a worrying trend. It is tragic for a young life, so full of potential, to be limited by a positive diagnosis of HIV. It is even more tragic when the infected person unknowingly spreads HIV to other young people, like himself or herself, by engaging in casual sex or sex with multiple partners. However, we believe no one can help young people more than themselves. Young people have the ability and courage to take difficult issues head-on and come up with bold and innovative solutions.

Youth all over the world are already actively involved in HIV prevention and education. HIV prevention programmes in the US and some Indian and African states have a youth component where young people take the lead in educating their peers about HIV prevention.

So, I am heartened to see that the youth in Singapore are joining the global youth community in doing something about the HIV/AIDS situation. Today's convention is the first of its kind being organized by youth for youth. Students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic planned and developed the programme for the convention, with assistance and guidance from the staff of Ngee Ann Polytechnic and World Vision Singapore.

What can youth do in the fight against Aids and HIV infection? I believe youth can make a difference in two ways.

First, they can educate their peers about Aids prevention measures. The vast majority of HIV infected persons in Singapore caught the infection through casual sex. So to stop the spread of HIV, we must promote the A,B,C message on Aids prevention. A is for abstinence and B is for being faithful. Most people believe in strong family values and aspire to standards of behavior that do not support casual sex. So, Abstinence and Being faithful, which are based on strong family values, must be the cornerstone of aids-prevention education. At the same time, we must recognize that there will be some persons who will be involved in casual sex or who may have multiple sex partners. It is important that these individuals practice the C in the A, B, C message. That is, they should use a condom.

Second, young people can help promote a culture of non-discrimination against those who are HIV positive. What people with HIV need most is the loving care and support of those close to them. They need the understanding of their families, friends, employers and colleagues so that they can live normal lives. Today, with treatment, HIV infected persons can keep the virus infection under control and lead productive lives. Often it is the fear of discrimination that prevents people from testing themselves and starting their treatment early. Young people can set an example to society by working and interacting with HIV infected persons in the same way as they would with non infected persons. This will promote a culture of non-discrimination against HIV infected persons in our society.

Today's programme will enable participants to learn about the ways they can protect themselves from HIV. Apart from making friends and learning new skills, I hope that the participants today will take the messages on HIV prevention to their friends and become active peer-educators in their respective schools and institutions. I hope they will also spread the message of non-discrimination.

This year, the Health Promotion Board started a volunteer programme for tertiary institutions called "StompAIDS". This programme gives students a platform to reach out to and educate other students on issues relating to HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on how they can prevent themselves from getting this deadly disease. Student volunteers have a chance to learn from people who work with HIV-positive patients and thus gain an insight into the impact of AIDS on patients and their families. So far, about 20 volunteers from the 3 universities have signed up for this programme. I am glad to announce that "StompAIDS" is open to all polytechnics as well. I strongly encourage all of you to take part in this meaningful programme to reach out to your fellow peers and educate them on HIV prevention.

Finally, I would like to thank the staff from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and World Vision Singapore for helping the students organize this convention. I wish all participants a happy and fruitful convention. The journey to bring AIDS under control will be a long and difficult one. Many more things have to be done. But we have taken a few steps and all journeys begin with the first few steps. I am glad that the youth in Singapore have joined us on this journey. I wish you all the very best in your efforts in HIV prevention and education.

Thank you