Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC)

The document shows number of new HIV infection, AIDS cases and AIDS death in Malaysia from 1986-2009.

The document shows number of new HIV infection, AIDS cases and AIDS death in Malaysia from 1986-2004.

The document shows number of new HIV infection, AIDS cases and AIDS death in Malaysia from 1986-2010.

Snapshot of HIV and AIDS in Malaysia 2013 captures the latest national HIV and AIDS surveillance data by the Ministry of Health.

As part of its European Union-funded Asia Action project, the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) has compiled a total of 17 discriminatory cases that were reported by people living with HIV in 2013. These cases were reported to the MAC Policy Department who interacted with them directly to ensure accuracy of the accounts. Details were noted in a standardised form. When transmitted between MAC and government agencies, names and identification details were blacked out. Actions toward mitigation of each case were taken within two weeks of receipt.

MAC’s Human Rights Initiative aims to facilitate effective linkages to care and support for HIV-infected and affected individuals; and to protect them from the harmful impact of stigma and discrimination. Despite the effectiveness of HIV treatment and HIV being a manageable chronic illness, individuals living with HIV continue experiencing human rights violations in many circumstances, including in the education sector and workplace. MAC aims to end this vicious cycle by vigorously engaging with the relevant stakeholders in order to heighten the awareness about the issue.

The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) has compiled a total of 15 discriminatory cases that were reported by key populations affected by HIV and AIDS in 2015. These cases were reported to the MAC Policy Department who interacted with individuals directly to ensure accuracy of the accounts.

On 18th October 2015, in the margins of the 24th International Harm Reduction Conference in Kuala Lumpur, stakeholders in Malaysian harm reduction programs, including the Malaysian Ministry of Health, the National Anti-Drugs Agency, the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), addiction psychiatrists, the Addiction Medicine Association Malaysia (AMAM), the Royal Malaysian Police, the Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and people who use drugs convened to discuss the Next Leap Forward in Harm Reduction in Malaysia. This report documents their discussions and makes several key recommendations.

Thirty years into the HIV epidemic, it is disheartening to note that stigma and discrimination remain a fact of everyday life for people living with HIV. The case studies highlighted in this report are testament to the many forms of attitudes, practices and systems across a wide range of sectors that continue to ‘punish’ HIV to this day.

The Ministry of Health’s 2014 statistics on HIV and AIDS show a slight increase of 3,517 HIV cases from 3,393 in 2013 to 3,517 new cases with a total cumulative of 105,189 HIV cases. The trend indicates a 78 per cent increase in sexual relations comprising homo/bisexuals and heterosexuals.