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Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Youths in Malaysia
infections, and the knowledge, attitudes
and practices related to them
(1) Incidence
Figures on the incidence of sexually
transmitted infections (STI) among
adolescents were difficult to obtain. An
analysis of 5485 visits by adolescents to
eight government clinics found only
seven cases (0.1%) had gone for
treatment for urethral discharge and
another 12, or 0.2%, for urinary tract
infections. While such ailments cannot
be construed as synonymous with STI,
it is known that adolescents with sexrelated
problems often shy away from
public clinics, where confidentiality is not
well maintained.
HIV/AIDS was first detected in Malaysia
in 1986, with the number of infected
Malaysians increasing to 51 256 by the
end of 2002. In 1990, 364 cases were
detected in those aged 20 to 29. There
were only eight HIV-positive people
between the ages of 13 and 19 years
(see Figures 12 and 13). In 2001, 4.6%
of HIV-infected persons seen at
government clinics were in the
13-19 year-old age group, and 27.7% in
the 20-29 year-old age group. In
2002, the percentages were 4.0% in
13-19 year-olds and 30.4% in 20-29 yearolds.
HIV/AIDS in Malaysia is closely linked
to the drug epidemic. HIV rates among
intravenous drug users were 21% in
1998, 27% in 1999 and 25% in 2000. It
is also well known to be linked with
factors associated with infection,
included frequenting sex workers and the
use / non-use of condoms. A study in
1995 showed that 80% of those infected
did not use condoms, compared with
63.4% of non-positive respondents.
Figure 12: Number of HIV-positives detected among 13-19 year-olds, by year
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Source: Ministry of Health, Malaysia