World AIDS Day

I've been working in Bangkok for a couple of weeks, and I commemorated World AIDS Day (today!) with two separate events in BKK (abbreviation for Bangkok). In the 1990s Thailand instituted some of the most progressive and effective HIV prevention programs in the world. One man, Mechai Viravaidya, is credited for his leadership in promoting condom distribution and use all over Thailand. Mechai's NGO, Population and Community Development Association, is still on the forefront of HIV prevention. You can eat at their HIV-prevention themed restaurant, Cabbages and Condoms, or stay at their HIV-prevention themed holiday resort in Pattaya, Birds and Bees.

On Sunday and Monday of this week, the donor and government community along with NGOs in Bangkok devoted to HIV prevention, treatment, and care, assembled in honor of World AIDS Day. I don't have pictures of the fantastic fashion show sponsored by SWING, an NGO providing services to men who have sex with men who are also sex workers, but I do have a few of those modeled by PDA yesterday (see above). The smell of polyurethane in these get ups is overwhelming, but the designs are really remarkable are the messages are incredibly important. While Thailand was a world leader in HIV prevention ten to fifteen years ago, today its government financial commitment to prevention has decreased. HIV prevalence among MSM, meanwhile has increased, with epiemiological data showing an increase from 17 % in 2003 to 31% in 2009. These statistics are a reminder of the importance of continued global commitments to the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide, and the importance of strong, community based prevention and stigma reduction for those groups most at risk of acquiring the virus.