Medical Information No one wants to get sick but if you prepare yourself well before you travel you will not get sick easily. See below to find out how to overcome health problems while you are in Thailand. If you're sick but are required to produce a medical clearance, that can be purchased from most clinics. If on the other hand you're well, but require a fake doctors sick note, that can also be easily obtained. It's a land of medical miracles!

Sickness	Minimizing Mosquito Bites	Dengue Fever
Malaria	Japanese Encephalitis	Diarrhea
Hepatitus A	Hepatitus B	Hepatitus C
Hepatitus D	Hepatitus E	Hepatitus G
Sunburn	Dehydration	Heat Rash, Fungus and Bacteria
Rabies	Respiratory Ailments	Eye Infections
Cuts and Scratches	Tetanus	Typhoid
Tuberculosis	Coral Cuts and Abrasions	Jellyfish
Sea Urchins	Skin Worms - Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm	Snake Bites
AIDS & HIV

However in Thailand… ยา

Pronounced “Yah” is the Thai word and symbol for Pharmacies (U.K.) or Drug Stores (U.S.A.) or Chemist (Aust). So, if you need medicines sometime during your trip here in Thailand, just look around you for this symbol.

Sickness : Nobody wants to spoilt a good holiday or vacation by becoming ill.  Some of the following fact will help you will you are in here :

Mosquitoes : Mosquito bites are a nuisance anywhere. Anyone who lives in the tropics, however, should become familiar with mosquito borne diseases that so far have tended to be located in the tropics.

Thailand is not a particularly mosquito infested country, and tends to be pretty average for a tropic country. Mosquito borne illnesses exist here, but are not a common infliction upon ex-pats, especially in urban areas. Decades ago, things were different, and government eradication efforts are mainly to credit for this turnaround. Nonetheless, there are still occasional reports of an ex-pat or traveller getting a mosquito borne illness, especially near the borders with Cambodia and Burma.

Hospitals : In Thailand the hygeine in hospitals are quite good compared to its neighbouring countries.  However, if you find that you have to be admitted, try to choose a reputable hospital with English speaking staff, otherwise get yourself admitted into a Singapore hospital if you can afford it.

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Men's Health : Things you can do to minimize erectile dysfunction:

Nowadays there are numerous prescription drugs to aid erectile dysfunction.  However in Thailand, they are readily available without prescription as long as you're familiar with the pharmacist, druggist or chemist.  Medicine levitra (vardenafil), viagra (sildenafil citrate), cialis (tadalafil), kamagra, zeagra, etc. are all available to treat the medical symptoms of erectile dysfunction.

Prescription drugs levitra, viagra, cialis, etc. have hidden dangers and it would be best to consult your doctor for their side-effects and contra-indications prior to taking them.

If you have medication levitra prescription, you can buy them through online pharmacy with free shipping.

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Minimizing Mosquito Bites

Most mosquitoes are most active around sunrise and sunset, but some mosquitoes are active all times of the day and nite.
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Dengue Fever
The disease "dengue fever" is carried by a particular species of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is on the rise to becoming one of the top public health problems in the tropics.  The mosquito which carries this virus is most common in urban areas around human dwellings, and is most active during the daytime. The Aedes mosquito breeds in clear water.  There are actually several types of dengue fever, and it's also known as breakbone fever.Symptoms usually start to appear between 5 and 7 days after being bitten.  The symptoms include severe headaches, high fever which may fluctuate, bone aches (hence the slang name), joint and muscle pains, nausea and vomiting, and a rash of small red spots a few days after the onset of fever.

Dengue fever is a very serious illness, and you should go to a good doctor immediately for treatment.  It can become fatal if the symptoms are allowed to progress over time to DHF (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever), which is characterized by heavy bleeding, though DHF is thought to affect mainly longterm residents who have picked up more than one strain of the virus. Aspirin should be avoided, because aspirin reduces blood clotting and thus makes hemorrage more likely.  There is no vaccine against dengue fever, and no specific treatment. You'll have to follow the doctor's orders.  Dengue fever is often mistaken for malaria, the flu (influenza) or something else. Malaria can be excluded by a blood test, and the indication of dengue can be inferred by a blood test.  Recovery will take time, with tiredness sometimes lasting several weeks.
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Malaria
The mosquitoes that transmit malaria are found in remote areas, not any of the major cities. These mosquitoes generally bite around sunset and sunrise.  Malaria transmitting mosquitoes are usually found near the Cambodian border (especially near the seaside) and the Burma border.  Symptoms of malaria include: sudden high fever and chills, muscle aches and headaches.  They usually show up after an incubation time of 7 to 30 days.  To be properly diagnosed with malaria, you must undergo a blood smear examination, which all major hospitals and many clinics can (and of course should) administer.  There are drug-resistant strains of malaria, and it's important to tell the doctor where you've been because the particular drug resistance varies by region.
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Japanese Encephalitis
Japanese Encephalitis is a very serious disease spread by ticks and mosquitoes, and of concern in northern and central Thailand.  It's rare in humans, but known.  Though most travel guides don't even mention it (e.g., Lonely Planet), many people recommend that expats living in northern Thailand get the immunization shots for Japanese Encephalitis.
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Diarrhea : This is mainly caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or water. Avoid food not properly cooked and drink boiled, bottled or carbonated water.  Diarrhea causes considerable loss of fluids and eletrolyte solution should be taken.  If diarrhea persists for 12 - 24 hours, a physician should be consulted.
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Hepatitus A
Hepatitus is endemic to southeast Asia, one of the places in the world where the per capita carrier rate is highest.  Hepatitus A is the most common form of the virus, and is spread by poor sanitation -- especially by cold food handled by unsanitary carriers, and by water contaminated with fecal matter.  Contaminated shellfish is another frequent source of infection.  Anal sex, too.  Hepatitus A can cause swelling of the liver, and in extreme cases can cause liver failure.

Unlike hepatitus B, hepatitus A is usually not a serious illness for people, except the elderly. Many people won't have any symptoms.  The symptoms are flu-like, plus sometimes pain in the liver.  For most people who get sick, with rest and a good lifestyle you recover, usually within 6 months.  Only a few percentage of people have serious complications from hepatitus A.  However, alcohol consumption in conjunction with hepatitus A is one of the things that causes serious complications.

You can get vaccinated against hepatitus A.

Vaccination is a 3-shot program.  If the 1st shot is today, the 2nd shot is 1 month later, and the 3rd shot is another 5 months later, i.e. 6 months from 1st shot (though the third shot can be delayed a little).  When sufficient resistance occurs is debatable.  Some say two weeks after your first shot, others say later.  You can start your vaccination program in your home country and continue it here in Thailand.  Make sure to bring your vaccination documentation with you when you come.

Around 5-10% of people will not become immune after all the shots. The only way to tell is by checking your blood for the antibodies.  Those who do become immune will usually stay immune for approximately 10 years, at which time they should get boosters.  The actual period varies from person to person, and only a blood antibody test will tell.

Many people are exposed to hepatitus A but their body fights off the virus naturally. Some people become carriers without symptoms.  The body's reaction to the virus varies from person to person.  The magnitude of the exposure may be significant, and the strength of the person's immune system is probably very significant.  If you've just arrived in Bangkok and are drinking a lot of alcohol and staying up late often, your body won't be at its strongest.  A good source for further information on hepatitus A is at:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hav/toc.html
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Hepatitus B
Hepatitus B is much more serious than hepatitus A, though it is not as easy to get. Hepatitus B is usually gotten thru blood transmission, but you can also get it by sex, or by exposing the body fluids of a carrier to broken skin, the mouth or eyes.  The virus is present in blood, fecal matter, semen, menstrual blood and urine.  However, it's apparently not transmitted by contaminated water or food.  It can be spread thru sex.  Between 5-10% of adults, and about 90% of babies who contract hepatitus, will be carriers for life able to pass the virus on to others.  All adults are contagious shortly after infection.  The vaccination against hepatitus B is effective in more than 90% of adults. A blood test will tell whether the vaccination has been successful for you. Like the hepatitus A vaccine, the hepatitus B vaccine is a program of 3 shots.  If the 1st shot is today, the 2nd shot is 1 month later, and the 3rd shot is another 5 months later, i.e. 6 months from 1st shot (though the third shot can be delayed a little).  When sufficient resistance occurs is debatable.  Some say soon after your first shot, others say later.

You can start your vaccination program in your home country and continue it here in Thailand.  Make sure to bring your vaccination documentation with you when you come.  A good source for further information on hepatitus B is at:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hbv/toc.html
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Hepatitus C
For most people, hepatitus C is not easy to get. It's spread via blood-to-blood transactions.  If you get hepatitus C, it is usually a much worse disease than other forms of hepatitus.  Tests for hepatitus C became available only in 1990, so if you received a blood transfusion from a hospital before then you should check for the antibodies. Hepatitus C often takes more than 10 years to show symptoms of liver damage, and it is very important that people infected take care of themselves such as no or low alcohol consumption.  The best summary file on hepatitus C is here:
http://hepatitis-central.com/hcv/whatis/whatishcv.html
... and a broader and more in-depth source of information on hepatitus C is here:
http://hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hepatitis/hcvtoc.html
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Hepatitus D
Hepatitus D cannot replicate well, and is generally found in conjunction with another hepatitus virus, usually B. Hepatitus D is spread by blood-to-blood transactions.  For more information on hepatitus D: http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hdv/hepd.html
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Hepatitus E
Hepatitus E is known to be transmitted by both blood-to-blood transactions and water contaminated with fecal matter.  There is no known vaccination as of the time of this writing.  The virus is not well understood. From the information I've read, it seems to have acute symptoms but not longterm ones. However, this may be subject to change.  A good source for further information on hepatitus E is at:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hev/toc.html
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Hepatitus G
Hepatitus G is named after someone whose initials were GB and represents an old blood sample of an infected person.  It is a virus that has existed a long time but was isolated and identified only in 1995, though it was suspected about 5 years before.  Hepatitus G is transmitted by blood-to-blood transactions.  It is usually associated with hepatitus C infection.  It is rarely found on its own. For more information on hepatitus G:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hgv/toc.html
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Sunburn
Many people who first come here don't think enough about the changes in sun exposure that they are exposing their bodies to.  In the tropics, the sun is nearly straight overhead and harder on the skin than in most farang countries.  Fair skinned people did not evolve here. Further, if you're vacationing on the beach when you first arrive, this could be a real shock for your body. The effects of the sun are sunburn, skin cancer, premature wrinkles & aging, and immediate term fatigue due to the damage the sun inflicts on your skin and the body's need of energy to deal with the repairs.  Your immune system can be significantly tired by the effects of the sun and make you more vulnerable to other things.

Wear sunscreen with a rating of 30 or better (which you can easily find in grocery stores and drug stores here), a hat, and of course at least a t-shirt even if you get it wet.  Be especially careful between 10:00am and 2:00pm, and maybe stretch that window another hour on each side.  Remember that the clouds block visible light but the damaging ultraviolet light still gets thru.  The sun is not a significant concern if you take reasonable precautions. One of the nice things about Thailand is that almost every day is a sunny day. Even during the rainy season, the days are usually sunny and the downpours usually happen only in the evening.
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Dehydration
Dehydration is something you want to prevent, not wait until you have to treat it.  When you move from a cool climate to a hot one, you should learn a new habit -- drink water often. Bottle water is sold everywhere. Drink it, sipping often.

The mild signs of dehydration are general tiredness, and the victim often doesn't realize that their problem is simply water.  Maybe you think you're having a bad day, or working too hard, or lacking motivation.  Drink a bottle of water and see if that makes a difference.  You may be surprised.  Sip on water often during the day.  Few people take salt here, and tablets are usually unnecessary, though you may want to salt your food a little.
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Heat Rash, Fungus and Bacteria
Another habit you should start here is bathing often.  Prevention is much easier than cure. Fungus grows in warm, moist (i.e., sweaty) locations.  So does bacteria.  Cotton underwear is essential.  After showering, let the skin dry. Use a fan if in a hurry.  You'll probably notice that "prickly heat" powder is fairly popular in Thailand, particularly among children.  Most ex-pats who live here don't have any of these problems, with the only precaution being to bathe regularly and more often than in their own native country.
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Rabies
This deadly disease is prevalent in Thailand. Rabies is a virus spread by bites and scratches from an infected animal.  The main threat is to children who are ignorant of the disease and don't report an incident to their parents.  Any warm-blooded pets are required to be vaccinated.  The vaccine is cheap and available from ordinary veterinarians.  The pet should wear its tag. Annual boosters are recommended.

If you are bit by any animal, you should immediately wash the wound, and then go to the local hospital.  In Bangkok, you should go to the Rabies Unit, Thai Red Cross Society, located on Rama 4 Rd. near Lumpini Park, at the Snake Farm. The telephone is 252-0161 extension 27.  You should also take note of the animal that bit you so that there can be an attempt to confine and observe it.  Rabies shots are no longer painfully done in the stomach. They are more ordinary shots now.

If you see an animal that shows any signs that it may have rabies, report it to the Rabies Prevention and Control Section of the Bangkok Municipality at 245-3311 or else the other local authorities.  The symptoms can vary.  The best known are frothing at the mouth, and running around wildly, sometimes snapping at things in the air.  Other symptoms are being weak and meek, sometimes with partial paralysis of the head, enlargement of neck or leg muscles, or difficulties in swallowing.
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Respiratory Ailments
The pollution is bad here, especially in the city Centres during traffic rush hour.
The best things you can do are avoid the streets during traffic rush hour, live away from the street, and take back alley routes when reasonable.
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Eye Infections
Eye infections are significantly more common here than in western countries.  Some say that the pollution affects the eyes' ability to fight off infection.  The ThailandGuru believes that you usually get eye infections by rubbing your eyes after handling doors, bus rails, and other things in public.  Pollution might increase your tendency to rub your eyes, but some of the viruses and bacteria that cause eye infections are hearty and spread easily.

Resist the temptation to rub your eyes and nose, wash your hands regularly, and be careful what you touch.  There's no reason to get neurotic about it, but don't be reckless, either.
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Cuts and Scratches
Cuts and scratches may heal slower and get infected more often if you don't take precautions against the heat.  Depending on the lesion, you might want to let them dry out when in a clean environment, and put on an antibiotic ointment and dressing when in public.  You should always, always, always clean out a cut as best you can with water and soap and apply an antibiotic.
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Tetanus
Tetanus is caused by a bacterium (Clostridium tetani) that enters thru a wound. After multiplying in the human body, a toxin produced by the bacterium causes muscle contraction, e.g., lockjaw and other musculatory failures.  You can get vaccinated against tetanus, or else get shots after a cut.
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Typhoid
Typhoid, or typhoid fever, rarely occurs here, especially among foreigners, but it's occasionally heard of.  It's caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.  An oral vaccination is available, but usually not necessary.  Depends on where you're going to be living and how safe you want to be.  If you practice cleanliness and take simple precautions, your chances of getting typhoid are slim.  The symptoms are fever, complete exhaustion, headache and intestinal inflammation.
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Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is fairly common in southeast Asia.  If you see someone coughing a lot, move as far away from them as you can.  Of course, this is a general rule, but tuberculosis is one of the worst airborne diseases you can contract.  It's rare for foreigners to contract it in Thailand, but it does happen.  A light exposure does not mean you'll get symptoms of TB, as your body may fight it off completely.  You can get immunized against tuberculosis. However, you may already have natural immunity to it, as a skin test will determine.  If you do get tuberculosis, then it is vital that you complete your medication, as you will feel better long before you get over it completely, and drug-resistant tuberculosis arises because people don't complete their medication.
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Coral Cuts and Abrasions
If you get cut by coral, you should be careful to thoroughly clean out all tiny fragments as soon as possible, and in the end apply an antiseptic.  Coral cuts have a high risk of infection.
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Jellyfish
First, you can be relieved to know that the more toxic species of jellyfish are not found in Thailand. However, jellyfish are found here like most other tropical places.  Do not wash off the jelly with your hands.  Use seawater, sand or a towel. Vinegar can help relieve the sting. Some individuals have an acute reaction to stings and might get cramps and breathing problems, possibly requiring mouth to mouth resuscitation.  The rash from a jellyfish sting can last for a week.  Calamine lotion is a popular application.
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Sea Urchins
Sea urchins are occasionally a problem.  They just leave some spines in the skin. Don't worry too much about these.  Be very careful and gentle when you try to pull them out, but don't be alarmed if they break and stay in the wound as they usually do.  They're extremely brittle.  However, the body will absorb then in a day to a few weeks, or else they will work themselves out on their own.  You're usually better off not doing anything but trying to pull out any that you reasonably can, applying antiseptic, seeing a doctor, and just waiting for it to heal, which may take a month.
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Skin Worms - Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm
People have been known to pick up skin worms in Thailand.  It's rare but happens.  Usually by walking barefoot in a place with the worms.
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Snake Bites
Most snakes in Thailand are not poisonous, though some are.  Snakes are rare in Bangkok, and not terribly common in the provinces. Snakes, by their common sense nature, do not want to attack humans or other big animals and will quickly retreat or hide.  If you get bitten by a snake, go straight to the emergency room of a local hospital.  Try to remember what the snake looked like, but don't take a chance at getting bitten again.

Chulalongkorn Hospital on Rama 4 Road (near Lumpini Park and the Dusit Thani Hotel) has particularly good expertise on snake bites. The direct line is 256-4214.  It's supposed to be open 24 hours per day, but if there's no answer or the line is busy, call the switchboard at 251-8932.

If you like snakes, there's the Snake Farm, or Saovabha Institute or Pasteur Institute, one places by three different names.  If you're going to be hiking in snake country, there are booklets on snakes there.  This is said to be the world's second oldest snake research facility. Established in 1923, it develops antivenoms and vaccines, and has more than a thousand snakes who serve both educational and medical purposes.  They have a slide show and also snake handler shows.  It's located on Rama 4 Rd. near Lumpini Park and is open daily from 8:30am to 4:00 p m.  The shows are at 10:30am and 1:30pm weekdays, and 10:30am on weekends.  Admission is 70 baht per primate.

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AIDS & HIV
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is caused by the HIV-1 virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus).

There are many sub-types of HIV virus, HIV subtype A, subtype B, and on thru subtype F, plus a subtype O, much like hepatitus has hep-A, hep-B, etc., and this may make HIV in Thailand significantly different from HIV in the west.

In Thailand, the primary means of transmission of HIV is by heterosexual sex, overwhelmingly HIV subtype E.  A second group is intravenous drug users (IDU's), most of whom are infected with HIV subtype B, the subtype most common in western homosexuals and IDU's, and which is apparently difficult to transmit heterosexually.

In the west, the prevalent HIV subtype B has as its primary means of transmission: anal sex (due to the abrasions of an unlubricated and tight tract which give the virus access to the blood), intravenous drug use (needle sharing between drug users), blood transfusions, hemophilia (people who need blood transfusions and who got donated blood with HIV before the hospitals could detect HIV), and with heterosexual transmission accounting for only about 10% of all cases. Subtype E is found in only a tiny minority of cases in the west, and is often traceable to travellers from Thailand.

For more than 20 years, Thailand has had HIV subtypes B and E.  However, it is subtype E which has taken off in the heterosexual population.  This has suggested that there are significantly different degrees of contagiousness between the two subtypes as regards heterosexual transmission.

It might be a common deadly mistake by western men to have unprotected sex with prostitutes in Thailand based on a lack of education and understanding of the difference between HIV subtype B in the west and HIV subtype E in southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia predominantly has subtype E, whereas other regions of the world have different predominant subtypes.  Thailand has a mix of two subtypes, subtype B and subtype E.  Subtype B is mainly found in northern Thailand among intravenous drug users. Subtype E is what is predominantly found among prostitutes and heterosexuals.  For example, a Chulalongkorn University clinic in Bangkok which had large numbers of HIV enrolled patients for studies found that 92% of male heterosexuals were infected with HIV subtype E, whereas 79% of intravenous drug users (IDU's) were infected with subtype B. (In both cases, practically all the rest were infected with the other subtype of HIV.)

HIV infection is highest in northern Thailand near the Golden Triangle, due to the opium and intravenous drug use in that area.  Northern Thailand is also where the highest concentration of HIV subtype B can be found.

Prostitution is rampant in many countries in Asia and the world, yet the percentage of the population in Thailand that are HIV carriers (approximately 2%) appears much higher than in other places with prostitution, after adjusting for per capita infection rates.

A research report at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has an analysis that concludes: "it has been estimated that the heterosexual HIV transmission rate in Thailand (where subtype E predominates) is fifty-fold higher than that observed in USA and Europe (where subtype B predominates)."

One of the best medical web research sites (geared for physicians) has an in-depth research report conducted in Thailand, which reports: "One of the earliest studies suggesting differences in efficiency of transmission among HIV-1 subtypes was a cross-sectional seroprevalence study of HIV-1, presumed subtype E, in Thai military conscripts infected by commercial sex workers (CSWs).[52] Using mathematical modeling, researchers estimated that the probability of female-to-male HIV-1 transmission per sexual contact was approximately 1 in 30 to 50 contacts; previous estimates for HIV-1 subtype B were estimated at 1 in 500 to 1000 contacts.  A second Thai study compared serodiscordance in couples in which the index case was either infected with subtype E from CSW contact or subtype B from intravenous drug use (IVDU). After controlling for factors known to affect transmissibility (eg, STDs, advanced disease), subtype E was associated with a much higher rate of seroconcordance, suggesting a difference in the intrinsic properties of the subtypes, with enhanced heterosexual transmission in HIV-1 subtype E.[53] One recently published report suggested that this apparent enhanced heterosexual transmission of subtype E may be due to increased replication in Langerhans' cells, which are located in the vaginal mucosa and may be the cell types that first become infected during heterosexual transmission of HIV-1.[54] The data from these studies, and the predominance of HIV-1 subtype B in the Americas and Europe where homosexuality/bisexuality is the major risk behavior, have led some investigators to conclude that subtype B is less efficiently transmitted heterosexually than the other subtypes, particularly subtype E."

Reports that analyzed only HIV in general, without specifying the subtype, are apparently not completely applicable to situations in Thailand.

Overall, in Bangkok, at a hospital which has the subtype statistics for more than 2000 HIV infected patients, approximately 82% have subtype E (95% of subtype E infections contracted heterosexually), and approximately 13% have subtype B (70% of subtype B infections contracted by intravenous drug use). Stated differently, non-IDU's (i.e., heterosexuals, homosexuals and hemophiliacs who do not inject drugs) accounted for approx. 30% (85/284) of subtype B infections, but approx. 95% (1723/1820) of subtype E infections.

It has been determined in general that HIV is more easily transmitted when another sexually transmitted disease is present.  How much this applies to subtype B vs. subtype E is not clear to me at this point, since subtype B appears to need access to the blood more than subtype E, and thus may need to take advantage of herpes lesions, inflammation of the urethra due to other STD's such as chlamydia, NSU, or gonorrhea, scratches due to teeth during oral sex, etc.

In any case, to compare the chances of getting HIV by unprotected sex in the west vs.  the chances in Thailand are not comparable due to factors including the following:

The rate of spread of HIV in Thailand levelled off in the early 1990's, apparently due to diligent campaigns on condom use by the Thai government and certain NGO's.  However, many ex-pats continue to "bareback" (i.e., have sex without a condom) with prostitutes, with more ex-pats doing so after consumption of alcohol.

Some studies estimate that the percentage of prostitutes infected with HIV is approximately 10% in the ex-pat areas of Bangkok.  However, these studies have uncertainties due to the biases of their samplings.

A Chulalongkorn study found that "disguised prostitutes", that is, ladies who freelance in shopping malls and the like posing as non-prostitutes but who extract presents (fashion items, mobile phones, etc.) and spending money from quasi-boyfriends in an extrinsically motivated relationship, had HIV infection rates of around 30%. The Chulalongkorn study speculated that the higher rates may be due to lower condom use in these relationships. However, the Chulalongkorn study notes that this was an unexpected finding and based on a statistically small and arguably insignificant sampling.

The best protection against HIV, besides abstinence, is condom use. Condoms are a highly effective protection against HIV.

The most often recommended condom is Durex, especially those with the N-11 spermicidal lubricant which may also help protect against some sexually transmitted diseases. However, some of the very thin and polyurethane ones have been reported by associates to break, including a Durex non-mainstream variety.  A larger condom for ex-pats has recently arrived on the local market, often in the form of vending machines in ex-pat areas, and it is called BodyGuard. More information is on the ThailandGuru page on condoms.

Known good places to go for an HIV test:

You should be able to get an HIV test at nearly any hospital and many STD clinics, but the above are tried and known good places.  You should ask first how long it will take to get the results, which is determined by whether they have the testing kits in stock at the hospital, versus sending your blood sample to an outside lab.  Test kits for antibody tests are more commonly in stock.  Antigen tests take longer even if they have the kits in stock. The particular antigen tests used may differ from site to site, but the antibody tests are usually the ELISA or the Western Blot.  However, many other tests have been coming out of R&D and hitting the market.

To make you and your partner more comfortable, you may want to insist on an anonymous test.  Usually, this is done by making up a name before you go in, and filling out all the forms using this name. If they want to see an ID card or passport, just don't bring it with you so that you can say you don't have it.  They will usually take your money and do the test using your assumed name, as they should, and I've never heard of a case otherwise.

In some places in the world, there are home testing kits, e.g., saliva tests.  One saliva test is done with the OraSure product, and is claimed to be 99+% accurate.  I don't know if this is available in Thailand. The results take 1 - 2 days.

This website does not address the issue of HIV treatment, a very large and broad topic. There is no cure for an HIV infection at the time of this writing, though there are many interesting treatments to prolong health against the onset of AIDS.

Condoms
Condoms are highly effective against most sexually transmitted diseases (STD's).  One of the most popular brands is Durex, which can be found for sale at the counter of most 7-11 stores and many other convenient places.  The white ones have the spermicidal lubricant N-11 as displayed on the front of the box, which is also effective in disabling some STD's to some extent.

A relatively new condom to hit the market, as of early 2000, is called BodyGuard.  It is a larger condom oriented towards the ex-pat and tourist market.  It's most commonly found in vending machines in go-go bars and pickup joints in the Sukhumvit area.

Most shorttime hotels in the tourist and ex-pat areas will also sell you a condom for a very slightly higher price than you can get them from the store.  It has been reported that most prostitutes in the Sukhumvit area do not have a condom with them.  Many do, but most don't.  Some bars will give you a condom if you ask. It has been reported from clients of sex-massage places that the latter usually supply a condom.  In any case, you should bring a pack of your favorite brand and model of condoms with you.  You should also make sure that you never run low at home.  There have been reports of condoms breaking, including Durex condoms (particularly the very thin or polyurethane ones).

If you use a lubricant, then it should be water based, not petroleum or oil based, as the latter can chemically react with the condom to dissolve and weaken it, and cause it to break.  You can buy good water-based lubricant at a place called Utopia on the Green Route east of Sukhumvit 23.  sIt's across the street from Casa Maria's, less than a hundred meters from the Pegasus and Narcissus establishments, and just a couple hundred meters off from soi 23.

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