AIDS IN THAILAND
Cover Story, Original Broadcast Date: October 11, 2002 (Show #606):

Thailand is the developing world's most successful nations in bringing down the infection rate of HIV. When AIDS hit in the early 90s, sweeping through the Asian nation in epidemic proportions, Thailand fought back with a highly successful family planning program and AIDS information campaign. Ten years later, HIV infections dramatically dropped from 140,000 a year to 30,000 in 2000. However, recent financial cutbacks in these programs have resulted in a renewed increase in infections among certain populations in the Asian nation, including young pregnant women. Fred de Sam Lazaro explores the financial and social challenges facing Thailand today in caring for AIDS patients. According to Mechai Viravaidya, who headed Thailand's family planning program in the 1990s, the nation needs to work on building awareness of the current AIDS crisis: "We can't just do it for a year and stop. You have to change your message . . . we have to design our public education program."

Featured (in alphabetical order): Phra Choochart, AIDS Patient Abbot Phra Alongkot Dikkapanyo, Wat Prabt Nam Phu Monastery Dr. Chris Lack, Hospice Volunteer Mechai Viravaidya, Head, Population And Development Authority