campaign urges Thai men to take advantage of rapid testing

[lonelywombat]

[attachment=0:3p10ic1g]TestBKK.jpg[/attachment:3p10ic1g]
A still from the campaign's first video
Photo by TestBKK

New HIV testing campaign urges Thai men to take advantage of rapid testing

- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/new- ... Mea8B.dpuf
New Thai HIV campaign TestBKK is targeting men who have sex with men to get more gay Thai men to know their HIV status in the capital Bangkok
07 APRIL 2014 | BY ANDREW POTTS
A still from the campaign's first video
Photo by TestBKK
Community organizations in Bangkok, Thailand have joined forces to launch the тАШTestBKKтАЩ campaign targeting gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) to increase HIV testing in Bangkok.

Using the slogan тАШSuck. F*#k. Test. RepeatтАЩ, TestBKK will use its website http://www.testbkk.org, Facebook, popular websites and mobile applications used by gay men, to spread information and messages designed to encourage more gay men in Bangkok to test for HIV and to be more aware of HIV risks and the importance of using condoms.

тАШThe campaign targets the young gay men to encourage them to get tested to know their HIV status and regularly test for HIV in a way that speaks directly to the target group,тАЩ APCOM executive director Midnight Poonkasetwattana said.

тАШAs the majority of new HIV cases in Thailand is occurring amongst MSM, this is a much needed campaign.тАЩ

Poonkasetwattana said the launch comes at a time of opportunity - just prior to the Thai New Year тАШSongkranтАЩ celebrations, a well know party season for the gay community in Bangkok.

тАШWe are excited about the launch of this campaign,тАЩ Poonkasetwattana said.

тАШIt will be one of the largest campaigns, involving a number of community, government and private sector partnerships, released in Bangkok focused on the issue about HIV testing for gay men.тАЩ

The campaign will use funny short videos which highlight key messages about the importance of testing, and online resources providing information about gay and MSM-friendly services in Bangkok providing HIV tests, as well as general HIV prevention information including the importance of consistent use of condoms and water- or silicone-based lubricants.

The first of the videos released shows two Thai guys hooking up at a nightclub and then going back to an apartment only to discover they are both bottoms. They then go and get rapid tested at a Bangkok clinic.

A report released in July 2013 by ThailandтАЩs Ministry of Public Health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the alarming HIV prevalence among men-who-have-sex with other men in Bangkok.

HIV prevalence in the general population in Thailand is 1.4%, however, HIV prevalence among MSM has risen sharply, from 17% in 2003 to 29% in 2011. It is estimated that without increased efforts, this figure could rise to as high as 40% by 2015.

To date traditional forms of HIV prevention and education in Thailand have been delivered through peer-to-peer networks, including the distribution of condoms and information regarding HIV testing.

But APCOM partner the Rainbow Sky Foundation of Thailand says the boom in hook up apps and dating websites mean that increased investment in education and prevention via online technologies and social media platforms is needed in Thailand

тАШThe MSM community in Bangkok needs more awareness about the importance of HIV testing,тАЩ Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand director Danai Linjongrat said.

тАШThese messages should to speak directly to the community. ItтАЩs important that MSM talk more about HIV testing, this will help to reduce the fear and stigma associated with, this is the only way we are going to have an impact.тАЩ

The Rainbow Sky Association is just one of a number of partners working with APCOM to support the campaign.

Another is the HIV/STD Research Program, Thailand MOPH - US CDC Collaboration (TUC) who warned that testing rates must rise to avoid a tragedy..

тАШWe need to drastically increase the numbers of MSM testing, particularly young MSM. An important concern is the proportion of people who havenтАЩt tested or tested recently and donтАЩt know what their HIV status is.тАЩ TUC director Timothy Holtz said.

Watch the campaignтАЩs first video below



- See more at: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/new- ... Mea8B.dpuf

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[Nirish guy]

Good video and with a happy ending for both guys it seems :-) - although I'm guessing the makers are intending it for use solely on their online campaigns as opposed to it being shown on Thai terrestrial TV as due to it's gay content somehow I can't see it getting past the censors, although hey TIT so who knows !

If anyone is intending to post that video, perhaps for the benefit of your Thai Facebook friends etc, maybe you should either open the video in Youtube and then repost the share link directly from there with any comment you might want to add (as that will post just the video in Thai and not the long news article that accompany's it in english that went out with it in Pinknews )- or if you prefer here is that direct link as taken straight from Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQIZtJ_Dowc&sns=fb


PS I'm SO not going to whatever gay club that was meant to be filmed in as it seems all the hot guys have kept their shirts on ! :-(

[lego]

Great to see this campaign, and other campaigns having the same goal. It's saddening to read how much the HIV prevalence among MSM in Thailand has risen.

I've encouraged some Thai friends to go to the Thai Red Cross Clinic to get tested. It's cheap and anonymous, there's also the Silom Community Clinic that even offers free testing. There are many other options in Bangkok as well, but a big problem is that many guys don't know about any of them or fail to grasp the importance of getting tested (on a regular basis). Spread the word!