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.
“These individuals are influenced by global trends which normalise and promote this lifestyle... this is a generational issue. The desire to experiment, including grooming, drives individuals to engage in activities beyond natural norms, often without considering the consequences,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara today.
He also highlighted the role of social media platforms in enabling connections among high-risk individuals, often without effective control mechanisms to regulate such interactions.
Lukanisman was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Dr Lingeshwaran R. Arunasalam, regarding the factors that heighten the risk of HIV transmission among men who have sex with men, and whether the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented aggressive awareness programmes 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 said that Malaysia has seen a decline in new HIV infections, 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.
“Meanwhile, 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.
However, despite its effectiveness, the PrEP approach faces opposition from certain groups, even though it remains the best available solution at present, he said.
“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.
“This committee also includes religious bodies, to observe, offer advice, and assess the current lifestyles that may conflict with societal norms,” he said.
