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The nation’s FREE newspaper
Canine e pg36-
37
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Pre-marital
HIV test
MUSLIMS MUST BE SCREENED
FOR AIDS VIRUS FROM NEXT YEAR
UALA LUMPUR: Muslim couples
K
must be screened for the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from
next year before they can marry.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak said the test would be
a part of the pre-marital course and was
in line with the government’s objective
to reduce the number of HIV infections
among women, which he noted was on
the rise.
“Next year, we will make it mandatory
for all states to impose the HIV screening
as part of the pre-marital course,” he said
after chairing a meeting of the Cabinet
Committee on AIDS in Parliament House
yesterday.
At present Muslim couples in Kelantan,
Negri Sembilan, Sabah, Sarawak and
Selangor have to be screened for HIV prior
to marriage.
Najib said the HIV infection rate had
dropped by half (from 6,756 cases in 2003
to 3,452 this year), thanks to the concerted
and focused efforts of the National
Strategic Plan on AIDS, reports Bernama.
Among the major contributors to the
drop in the number of cases was the harm
reduction programme which would be
continued to achieve the government’s
goal of 11 cases per 100,000 population
by 2015 compared with 12.8 cases per
100,000 population now, he said.
“Cumulatively, there are 83,527 HIV
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cases so far and of this, 14,317 are AIDS
cases of which 12,425 people have died,”
he said, adding that AIDS still posed a
serious threat.
“According to the United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS),
Malaysia is categorised as a country
with concentrated epidemic ... meaning
in certain, high-risk groups. There
are phenomena that can be related to
concentrated epidemic,” he said.
However, the UNAIDS recognised
Malaysia’s efforts to fight AIDS by
according it the status of country with
high political will, he said.
Najib said the meeting also focused
on high-risk groups whereby the Health
Ministry got close to these groups to
reduce the number of cases.
He also expressed concern over the
increase in HIV infections among women
who contracted the disease through
normal sex, saying that their numbers
rose from 5.02% in 1997 to 16.3% last year.
He also said the Malaysian Islamic
Department should be more aggressive
in helping reduce the number of HIV
infections through drug addiction.
He said the meeting also proposed
that the Malaysian AIDS Foundation be
included in the cabinet committee. At
present, the council is a member of the
technical committee chaired by the health
director-general.
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December 19, 2008
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Grit vs ‘M’sian warship, chopper
firepower
... Crew
members of
scared off pirates’
Chinese vessel KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian warship A newly created European Union task
Zhenhua 4 using was the vessel that helped Chinese force has recently taken over patrols off
whatever they can sailors repel Somali pirates who had the Horn of Africa from Nato. China also
lay their hands on boarded their ship in a dramatic high- said yesterday it was preparing to send
to fight off pirates seas battle, a maritime watchdog said warships to the region.
trying to board yesterday. Pirates have carried out more than
the boat in the
“A Malaysian military helicopter fired 100 attacks in the key shipping lanes
warning shots at the pirates’ boat. This of the Gulf of Aden, located between
Gulf of Aden on
forced the sea raiders to abandon their the south of Yemen and the north of
Wednesday. Their
operation to hijack the ship,” said Noel Somalia, and the Indian Ocean east of
“arsenal” included
Choong, head of the International Mari- Somalia since the start of this year.
Molotov cocktails
time Board’s piracy reporting centre. Last month, they captured the
fashioned from
On Wednesday a band of pirates world’s attention when they hijacked
empty beer boarded the Chinese commercial vessel the Saudi-owned super-tanker Sirius
bottles, flares Zhenhua 4 in the Gulf of Aden but the Star, carrying two million barrels of
and cotton wicks sailors held them off for several hours. crude oil, and demanded a US$25 mil-
dipped in diesel; Their heroic actions gave the interna- lion ransom for the ship and its crew.
high-pressure tional coalition patrolling the pirate-in- The pirates, heavily armed and using
hose; iron rods fested region time to seek the assistance high-powered speedboats, prey on a
and even shoes of the Malaysian warship KD Inderasakti. key maritime route leading to the Suez
that they used “The coalition forces requested as- Canal, through which an estimated 30%
as “missiles”. sistance from the Malaysian warship of the world’s oil transits.
The pirates, who to fight off the pirate attack,” Choong Meanwhile, armed forces chief Gen
were armed told AFP, adding that “the warship then Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal said KD Indera-
with automatic deployed the helicopter”. sakti did not receive any information on
weapons, boarded Malaysia had deployed the warship the movements of the tug boat from the
the vessel but to protect its commercial ships after private company which owned it.
were held at bay two vessels were hijacked by pirates He said Malaysian vessels or boats
by the gutsy crew in August. A Malaysian tugboat was wanting to cross the waters should
until help arrived. also captured by pirates this week and inform the RMN vessel to ensure their
remains in their hands. movements were well-protected.