The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Thailand - The first two decades

Thailand is frequently cited in the HIV/AIDS prevention literature as a key example of a successful response to the heterosexual epidemic in the mid- 1990s, which had substantially defused its epidemic by the end of the decade. This is one of the signal successes in HIV prevention, along with the Ugandan ABC program, the success of condom social marketing in Senegal, and universal access to antiretroviral treatment in Brazil. In each of these instances, public policy was effective in preventing the further spread of HIV infection at the national level. Nevertheless, Thailand in 2008 continues to experience a sustained series of independent epidemics among minority populations, including injection drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men (MSM), and other disadvantaged groups (for example, immigrant ethnic female and male sex workers) that may derail the many spectacular achievements that have been made in controlling the HIV epidemic. Further, a huge number of already infected Thais will place significant pressure on the health care system as they present for treatment.