Deep-rooted reticence about discussing sex and a reluctance to admit the existence of a problem are hindering Malaysia's fight against HIV/Aids as levels of infections accelerate, said activist Marina Mahathir today.

"We cannot close our eyes to the fact that there's an epidemic here. What's alarming is the level of denial in Malaysia," said Marina, president of the Malaysian Aids Council.

Malaysian society hides behind terms like "sensitive", using this as an excuse not to talk about the disease openly and tackle the issue head-on, she said at the launch of this year's World Aids Day at a shopping mall here.

People were also blaming abstract concepts like "Westernisation", spreading the myth that "people are getting infected with Aids because everyone is being Westernised," Marina said.

In fact, it was the exact opposite as the country was failing to tackle HIV/Aids simply because Malaysian society was clinging to its Asian values and refusing to talk about the problem, she said.

"Malaysians think we will never become like Africa. That is simply not true," she warned.

Fear of stigma

The government's earlier reluctance to introduce sex education in schools also hampered efforts, she said.

Some 17 years after the first HIV infection case was detected in the country, Malaysia now has around 57,000 reported cases of HIV/Aids compared to 54,000 as of June this year, she said.

Drug addicts sharing infected needles made up nearly 80 percent of HIV/Aids cases while heterosexual transmission was the second highest cause, at nearly 12 percent.

The real number of HIV/Aids patients could easily be more than double the official figure, as many fail to report their condition for fear of stigma or discrimination in conservative mainly-Muslim Malaysia, she said.

After 10 years of talk, Malaysia still lacked an action plan to tackle the issue head-on, said Marina, daughter of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"The government really needs to take lead in this. The problem is that we are doing piecemeal work, bits here and bits there ... it's not enough." - AFP