HIV Knowledge and Prevention Education Initiatives for Shan Migrants in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Northern Thailand has both a large community of migrant workers from Burma’s Shan State and the highest HIV incidence rate in Southeast Asia. Although Thailand had some success in reducing transmission during the major epidemic of the 1990s, the government has become complacent in ensuring and promoting HIV prevention, especially for the migrant population. The Shan migrant workers are often undocumented, marginalized, and without access to health care, making them a vulnerable population to HIV. To understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) associated with HIV, a KAP questionnaire was collected from 33 Shan migrants in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While there were some misconceptions, the participants generally had a good level of knowledge, positive attitudes, and reduced risky sexual behavior, with women scoring higher than men in all three categories. Semi-structured individual interviews were also conducted with providers of HIV prevention services for the migrant community in Chiang Mai to discern the current availability of HIV prevention services and factors affecting access to them for the Shan migrant group