CHIANG MAI – HIV infections among Thai adolescents and young adults are rising at an alarming rate, with individuals aged 15 to 24 accounting for more than one-third of all new cases nationwide, according to government data that has prompted the launch of a new prevention campaign.

Nearly half of new HIV cases in Thailand among young people

Aids Healthcare Foundation Thailand introduced its “Just Use It” campaign last week ahead of International Condom Day, observed annually on February 13, at Yupparaj Wittayalai School in Chiang Mai. The initiative aims to promote condom use and safer sexual practices among youth to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies.

International Condom Day was established in 2009 by the Aids Healthcare Foundation to raise global awareness of the critical role condoms play in preventing HIV and other STIs.

Songyos Khamchai, head of the Infectious Disease Control Department at the Chiang Mai Public Health Office, said HIV infections among adolescents and young adults remain a pressing concern. Figures from the Disease Control Department under the Ministry of Public Health show that last year, 13,357 people were newly diagnosed with HIV nationwide, bringing the cumulative number of people living with HIV in Thailand to 547,556.

Of the new cases, 35 percent were among individuals aged 15 to 24. Health officials said 96.4 percent of infections were linked to unprotected sexual contact.

Aids Healthcare Foundation Thailand (AHF Thailand) has launched its "Just Use It" campaign after government data showed that young people account for more than one-third of newly reported HIV infections nationwide.

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In Chiang Mai, 731 new HIV cases were recorded last year. The province has 22,387 people living with HIV, of whom 21,576 are receiving antiretroviral therapy through the public healthcare system. Between October 2025 and January 2026, authorities projected around 173 additional HIV diagnoses in Chiang Mai, averaging 44 new cases per month. Of those identified, 160 have begun treatment.

Health officials also reported a sharp rise in other STIs, particularly syphilis, suggesting continued gaps in preventive behaviour.

“We need to intensify campaigns promoting condom use and expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis and HIV self-testing kits,” Mr Songyos said, noting these services are available free of charge at public hospitals, subdistrict health-promoting hospitals and through civil society organisations.

Kritsiam Arayawongchai, country programme director of AHF Thailand, said the organisation, which is headquartered in Los Angeles and operates in more than 50 countries, observes International Condom Day annually to reinforce the importance of condom use in HIV prevention.

Thailand Determined to Combat HIV

“Chiang Mai is among the provinces with relatively high HIV infection rates,” he said. “Through this campaign, we want young people to understand that condoms remain one of the most effective and accessible tools for preventing HIV, other STIs and unintended pregnancies.”

-Thailand News (TN)