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'Condom King' Fights AIDS in ThailandBy Andrew Morse
B A N G K O K, Thailand, July 13, 2002 -- Two decades ago, when the world was just beginning to learn about AIDS and most developing nations were trying their best to ignore it, an activist took to the streets of Thailand, a basket of condoms in hand, to spread the message that there were ways to fight this lethal virus. His name was Meechai Viravaidya, a Thai senator who came to be known as the "Condom King." Meechai began a crusade, handing out condoms in Bangkok's notorious Patpong red-light district. From the streets, to the bars, to the brothels, wherever you looked, there was the Condom King, handing out prophylactics and advice to anyone who would listen. He tried to break the taboo surrounding AIDS from the very start, by making his education campaign fun. To fight AIDS, he said, all you need is a simple formula: "Public education, prevention, and the condom. There's nothing better … Let the people understand, and if people want to take risks, and most people do, protect yourself. Use a helmet when you drive a motorbike, use a seat belt when you drive a car, use a condom when you have sex." National Campaign Set Early Example Meechai's crusade helped launch a national AIDS campaign that approached the disease with commitment and compassion, providing a powerful example for the world to follow. The results were tangible. "We were able to reduce new infections by about 77 percent," he said. "That was really quite a landmark." Every segment of Thai society played a role in AIDS prevention. Everyone was involved — from the medical community to teachers, to monks, to prostitutes and drug addicts. The government committed funds for research and backed private organizations that attempted to spread the word about how to stop AIDS. Even the powerful Thai military pitched in, running voluntary blood tests for soldiers. But it wasn't enough. Despite the time, effort and money Thailand spent to catch AIDS early, the virus continued to spread. It is now the leading cause of death in the country, surpassing accidents, heart disease and cancer. ‘AIDS Will Be Here Forever’ And while their efforts continue, even some who have fought alongside Meechai these past 20 years are beginning to grow war weary. "AIDS will be here forever," said Father Joe Maier, who runs a clinic for AIDS patients and a school for children afflicted with or orphaned by the disease. "Like measles, like TB, it'll be here for the next 5000 years. Anybody who said, 'no, we'll wipe out AIDS next week, they're fools.'" Father Joe, as he is known in Thailand, said the country needs to continue its efforts to inform the community and to continue to search for a cure, but he has dedicated himself to caring for those already stricken with AIDS. "There's AIDS in every village, there's AIDS in every town, there's AIDS in every school, there's AIDS in every bar," Maier said. AIDS is a fact of life in Thailand. The sooner you accept this fact, the sooner you can help people already infected with the virus, Maier said. "You don't judge them. You don't throw them out of your families. You take care of them," said Maier. "You realize that this is the way it is, and you don't try to throw them out of your schools, out of your hospitals, out of your homes. You say, 'you've got AIDS, now let's walk through this together.' " Stigma Provoked Silence, Stagnancy Maier has helped thousands "walk through" their final days with AIDS. He walks around his hospice and school, stopping to help a child with a coloring book one minute, and pulling up the covers of an elderly woman the next. The priest explains that now, some 20 years into the crisis, Thailand is starting to see a new kind of victim. Whereas in the 1980s, the majority of AIDS cases in Thailand resulted from IV-drug use or prostitution, the hospitals are now filled with different victims — office workers, housewives, teenagers and the children orphaned by the disease. Many hide their illness as long as they can — the stigma associated with AIDS in Thailand is still powerful. But as people have stopped talking about it, the disease has continued to spread. At the same time, government funding for research and care have declined. Several Buddhist monasteries now take in many of the sick and dying who have run out of money and have nowhere else to go. Two decades after such an auspicious start in the AIDS war, Thailand is still trying to handle the disease. Which is why, 20 years after he began his crusade, Meechai is back on the streets. He's opened an upscale resort called "Cabbages and Condoms" in Pattaya Province, an area notorious as a haven for the sex trade. In this resort, guests find condoms under their pillow in lieu of mints. And Meechai is back on the streets as well, reminding Thais of the lessons they once taught the world. Meechai can understand why Thailand has been slipping in its efforts to combat AIDS, but that doesn't mean he's willing to accept it. "People basically get bored, public information has almost died off. So, I have to return, have to come back and fight it again, another round of it," he said, turning on his heel and walking down the street lined with sex shops and bordellos, a basket of condoms in his hand. Copyright © 2022 ABC News Internet Ventures. All rights reserved. |
