MAC raised concerns over the rise in AIDS infections among young people

NEARLY 1,000 Malaysians still die from AIDS-related illnesses each year.

AI Brief

AIDS crisis persists in Malaysia with rising youth infections due to misinformation and stigma.
MAC launches KAMI initiative to empower students as peer educators for sexual health awareness.
Ending AIDS by 2030 faces social and structural barriers, requiring political will and funding.

Dr Nur Afiqah Mohd Salleh, Vice President of the Malaysian AIDS Council, said many people assume the AIDS crisis is over, leading to it being overlooked, while new infections among youths continue to increase due to low exposure to accurate information.

“There's this gap between the reality that young people face and the kind of information they actually receive, so Malaysian views are all encountering sexual context way earlier, through digital media, through their peers to online platforms, but access to accurate non-judgemental information is still very much limited by our norms and the institutional barriers, and we recognize this,” said Dr Nur Afiqah.

Recognising these information gaps, MAC has shifted its approach to a youth-led autonomy model, specifically through the KAMI (Kesihatan Anak Muda IPT) initiative.

“So we empower university students today to become peer educators, they become campus advocates to deliver accurate information and to inform their peers about services such as testing, treatment, PrEP and mental health support,” said Dr Nur Afiqah during an interview on Astro AWANI’s Consider This.

She said this peer-to-peer model helps young people trust and relate to their own networks, creating safe spaces for conversations about sexual health.

However, the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 may still be challenging due to persistent barriers.

She explained that the remaining obstacles are largely social, structural, political, and linked to ongoing stigma and information gaps surrounding sexuality among youths.

“Structural various enforcement environments are the kind that deter people from seeking sexual health services, and as donor support diminishes, the domestic investment and state government support becomes central,” she added.

Despite this, Dr Nur Afiqah believes the 2030 target remains possible.

“We need a sustained political will, diversified financing and social environments that allow people to sit there without fear and progress can show what is possible and the gaps that remain,” she said during the same session.

She emphasised that the mission to eliminate AIDS is far from complete.

Dr Nur Afiqah made these comments during an episode of Consider This on Thursday.