Mandalay residents are involved in many HIV education activities. Pic: Ministry of Health

A SEMINAR aimed at helping researchers estimate and project the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Myanmar was held at Mandalay Swan Hotel on August 15 and 16.

The objectives of the seminar, which was organised by the National AIDS Program under the Ministry of Health, included updating HIV/AIDS surveillance methods, introducing international HIV/AIDS estimation tools and presenting projected rates of the disease for 2007.

However, the estimated data for 2007 was not released to the public.
The seminar was attended by officials from the United Nations, departments under the Ministry of Health and non-government organi-sations.

It was the second HIV/AIDS estimation and projection workshop to be organised in Myanmar. The first was held in 2004.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health conducted research on sexual behaviour among men sex with men (MSM) participants at the Taungbyone nat festival from August 21 to 28 for the second consecutive year.

According to an official from the National AIDS Program, the research will be used in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

“We can see how behaviour among MSMs has changed from last year, when we surveyed about 500 participants at the festival,” said Dr Than Win, the team leader of the program in Mandalay.

He said last year’s data indicated that many MSMs had their first sexual experience at a young age, have had many partners and lack general knowledge about safe sex. The National AIDS program also sponsored an exhibit at the festival to teach people about the disease.