Singapore Fights Rise in HIV Infections With Testing of Pregnant Women

On Saturday, Singapore health officials said voluntary HIV testing of pregnant women would begin in December and that the city-state would encourage condom use among gays and men who pay for sex, reported the Sunday Times. However, condom advocacy would be discreet so as not to encourage casual sex among youths, said the officials, who were attending a national AIDS seminar.

Treatment during pregnancy could reduce the risk of vertical HIV transmission from 25 percent to 2 percent, said Balaji Sadasivan, senior minister of state for health. During the last decade in Singapore, 12 babies were born HIV-positive, said Balaji.

The measures are seen as a response to the health ministry's latest HIV figures showing 257 cases in the first 10 months of 2004 -- the highest on record. Officials fear new cases will surpass 300 for the year. For all of 2003, Singapore recorded 242 new cases -- most contracted heterosexually through commercial sex. To date, Singapore has recorded 2,332 people infected by HIV, of whom 874 have died; 564 have AIDS; and 894 are asymptomatic.

Balaji's comments earlier this month, that unsafe sex among gays men constituted the greatest concern, provoked criticism from the gay community.

HIV transmission increased among gay men in Singapore from 54 in 2003 to 77 in the first 10 months of 2004. During the same 10 months, heterosexual men comprised 66 percent of new cases.

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