AIDS COUNCIL

Brunei Darussalam is privileged to be provided with world-class health and medical care, with the society promotes strong family values and community awareness to take care of one another. This has helped to reduce, if not maintain, the number of new HIV infections in Brunei, and support people at risk of contracting HIV or are living with HIV themselves. Yet, there are significant concerns on certain parts of the community’s perception towards HIV.

This is where awareness, education and understanding is needed for anyone on the matter. HIV is a preventable illness & there is no need to be scared of it; HIV is a manageable illness when contracted & there is no need to give up on life because of it; and, certainly, HIV is not ease to be infected & there is no need to stigmatise the person living with it.

We iterate our call for members of society to take action by educating, and not discriminating, continuing research, taking preventive measures and by showing love and care. Only by doing so we can reduce and control the number of new HIV infections. It is encouraging to know that various undergraduates or university researches that is related to HIV are being conducted, and hopefully, with evidence-based research we have more data to work with for better approach.

Although there is treatment available, there is still no cure for HIV infection and it can still cause death. Early diagnosis should allow a person who has been recently infected with HIV to be given treatment early and ensure a near normal life span. Not only will early diagnosis and treatment save the lives of those infected, it should also prevent further transmission of the virus.

There is a greater need to reach out to ‘underground’ groups on HIV & AIDS awareness, as general public are comparatively easier to target. Groups like single mothers, school drop-outs, people living with HIV, people using drugs, people engaging in same-sex behaviours, people with low academic or low income, people engaging in high risk behaviours etc. are some of the ones that are considered key affected populations in our local context.

Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council, therefore, would like to call on those who feel that they have put themselves at risk, to seek HIV testing. Confidential testing involves a simple blood test that is available at all government health centres and clinics as well as private health facilities. Knowing your HIV status will empower you to make the right decisions with regards to your sexual health and protect your future. If you find out that you are infected with HIV, you can seek medical care quickly and every step is made to ensure that your status remains confidential.

Recent statistics from the Ministry of Health have shown that there is a concern on sexually transmitted infection (STI). In 2014 alone, there are 281 STI cases, with 18 cases involving pupils under the age of 15 years old. This also calls for the whole Brunei needs to come together, be it from the government, private sector or civil society to develop a comprehensive reproductive health education, that educates and empowers our teenagers and young people to make the right choices in their life. With the myth that ‘sex education’ only teaches about ‘sex’, there are proof and evidence, that combining all aspects of life and values can lower the number of related problems. For example, including family values, munakahat knowledge, STI prevention, healthy relationship skills and decision making skills are some of the elements can be included.

With the World AIDS Day theme since 2010 is on “Getting to Zero new infection, AIDS-related deaths and new infection”, and including the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and with addition to that, we echo The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) call for a new narrative on HIV target, dubbed “90-90-90” i.e.

• By 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their status.
• By 2020, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy.
• By 2020, 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

As per BDAIDSCOUNCIL’s Vision, “Together Towards an AIDS-free Brunei Society”, Getting to Zero is only achievable when all (from policymakers down to the baby in a mother’s arms) are on board; this includes you who are reading this message too.

For this World AIDS Day, we would like to thank the Government of His Majesty for the support and assistance in allowing us to continue our HIV and AIDS advocacy work, our various donors, supporters and partners be it from companies, educational institutions, community leaders, media agencies and volunteers.

A special mention to the volunteers and their families in Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAIDSCOUNCIL), including our youth division, the Penyinar Club, who have given their support, ideas, effort, time and even donations; all these to help Brunei Darussalam’s society in raising awareness on HIV and AIDS. It is also this year, BDAIDSCOUNCIL has entered it’s 15th year anniversary, and led by young people, professionals and concerned citizens, BDAIDSCOUNCIL will continue to do its part for the public.

This year, we are proud to see various initiatives throughout the community to commemorate and observe World AIDS Day, from blood donation drives, fundraisers, photo competition, social media outreach, arts display, educational messages, downloading apps or by just simply donning the Red Ribbon on your shirt.

Do contact us on social media (Facebook, Twitter & Instagram) on #BDAIDSCOUNCIL or drop us an email and let’s discuss and take action on how together we can play our part.

- Iswandy Ahmad, President, Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council