Kuala Lumpur: The ‘You Only Live Once’ (YOLO) mentality among the younger generation is believed to encourage them to be bold and experiment with new things, including same-sex relationships, which may contribute to the rising HIV infection rate among men aged 20 to 39. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said that this has become a serious concern.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Lukanisman highlighted that individuals influenced by global trends often engage in activities beyond natural norms, driven by a desire to experiment and groom, while neglecting potential consequences. He made these remarks during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara, emphasizing the role of social media in enabling high-risk connections without effective control mechanisms.

Lukanisman was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Dr Lingeshwaran R. Arunasalam regarding factors heightening HIV transmission risk among men who have sex with men, and whether the Ministry of Health (MOH) has launched aggressive awareness programs to reduce stigma, particularly among young men.

Lukanisman added that, according to 2024 surveillance data from the National AIDS Registry (NAR), 90 per cent of HIV cases involved men, with 75 per cent affecting individuals aged 20 to 39. He also noted a decline in new HIV infections in Malaysia, from 6,978 cases in 2002, at a notification rate of 28.5 per 100,000 population, to 3,185 cases last year, with a notification rate of 9.4 per 100,000 population.

In 2024, Malays accounted for 52 per cent of reported HIV cases, followed by the Chinese at 14 per cent. Ethnic-specific rates were highest among Sabah Bumiputera at 14.2 per 100,000 population, followed closely by Sarawak Bumiputera at 14.0 per 100,000 and Indians at 12.1 per 100,000. Selangor recorded the highest number of new HIV cases, with 1,085 cases (34.1 per cent), followed by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with 365 cases (11.4 per cent) and Sabah with 344 cases (10.8 per cent).

Commenting on MOH’s initiatives to curb the spread of HIV, Lukanisman highlighted that the ministry’s HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention programme is 99 per cent effective in preventing the transmission of the virus through sexual contact. Despite its effectiveness, the PrEP approach faces opposition from certain groups, though it remains the best available solution at present.

‘The campaign we are working on now requires support, and under the MOH, I, as the chairman for the Coordinating Mechanisms, gathered groups involved in this initiative, both under and over the age of 30,’ Lukanisman stated. He added that the committee also includes religious bodies to observe, offer advice, and assess current lifestyles that may conflict with societal norms.