15 Norwegians Infected With HIV In Thailand

Every single year between 10- and 15 Norwegian men get infected with HIV in the holiday paradise < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 />Thailand by unprotected sex. The public health department Folkehelseinstituttet fears that 2008 can be the worst year ever, regarding HIV imported to Norway from Thailand.
< ?xml:namespace prefix = o />    The popular winter holiday country attracts couple on their honeymoon, families with children, young backpacker, and not to forget, men who is hunting sexual contact with Thaïs.
    But unfortunately the sense of paradise can quickly turn into hell.
    “Every single year 10 to 15 Norwegian men return to Norway with HIV. The number is increasing, and we will probably see more and more cases, says senior adviser Øivind Nilsen to the Norwegian tabloid VG.
    New figures from the Thai authorities tell that Phuket is now one of the areas, where the number of HIV infected is increasing the most. Phuket is at the same time one of the biggest attractions for Norwegian tourists.
    “We have been trying to reach out to adult Norwegian men with our warnings, but it is very difficult to get our message through. Many men scrap the condom and the risk for an HIV infection is high”, Nielsen says.
    In 2007 alone there occurred 15 cases of HIV from Asia. 12 out of 15 of these cases involved unprotected sex in Thailand.