Could ‘sugar ba*ying', low co*dom awareness cause spike in HIV rate among young Malaysians?
SUCH are two 'outside the box' reactions cited by netizens following revelations that HIV infections among university and school students are on the rise – while transmission through drug use is decreasing – with most contracting the virus through sexual activity.
This came about after theMalaysian AIDS Council (MAC) and Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) honorary secretary Dr Zaiton Yahaya said those aged between 20 and 29 accounted for 44% of individuals detected with HIV.
'The highest number of cases are among school leavers and university graduates who are largely unaware of the risks of infection,' she said after a Hari Raya Open House in Kuala Lumpur with the community and the launch of the ProtectNow Hub organised by MAC and MAF yesterday (April 27),
'Due to the increasing rate of sexually transmitted HIV infections, we have stepped up awareness initiatives to ensure patients know where to seek help and support.'
Judging from the trend of the infection, the sugar ba*y phenomenon where Malaysian women working as 'sugar ba*ies' can earn up to RM12,000/month and enjoy luxury vacations, designer goods and financial stability can no longer be dispelled as a potential cause to a spike in the country's HIV rate.
GEJALA SEKSUAL | Kes jangkitan HIV dalam kalangan penuntut universiti dan sekolah menunjukkan peningkatan dengan kebanyakan mereka menerima jangkitan akibat aktiviti seksual.
Setiausaha Kehormat Majlis Aids Malaysia (MAC) dan Yayasan Aids Malaysia (MAF), Dr Zaiton Yahaya… pic.twitter.com/I6fg06yon4
— Buletin TV3 (@BuletinTV3) April 26, 2025
Editor's Note: According to Seasia.stats, a study shows that Malaysia ranks third among Asian countries with the highest number of sugar daddies at 32,500 – tied with fourth spot Japan – on the top 10 list.
Both came behind India which boasts a staggering 338,000 sugar daddies with Indonesia coming in second with 60,250.
Closely linked to this is indulgence in intercourse without co*dom and the perceived rise in gay relationship.
One netizen blamed it on 'weak sex education' at school level with the knowledge mostly gained from self-learning (purportedly from online materials) or from lectures/courses at universities which 'is already too late as many started having se*ual relationship at teenager stage'.
Another mooted the idea of schools/university/school inviting medical professionals from hospitals 'to open up booths for mandatory HIV/AIDS testing'.
One commenter faulted lack of monitoring from parents/guardians who accord too much freedom to their young ones.
At the end of the day, one netizen lamented that 'Islam has provided the solution which (our) secular-liberalist leaders refuse to follow'. – April 27, 2025
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