Condoms are extremely effective when used correctly.

What is a tougher campaign?
More laws and sanctions?
Singapore needs to wake up to reality that not all problems can be solved by tougher laws ans penalties.

Abstinence is good idea. However, it requires one to have a strong mental will.

I am particularly worried for teenagers because they are likely to experiment with sex due possibly to ignorance or simply not fearing the risk of contracting HIV and other STD diseases.

As for using condoms, it is not entirely 100% safe contrary to common belief. It might also create a false sense of security.

I have a different statistics.

I have a friend who works in a major clinic who tests for HIV and TB.

According to her, thousands turn up positive every month. But these are likely the foreigners who are required for checks when applying and renewing employment and work passes.

How frequent are 'residents' required to do these checks?

To Mathew, I don't understand what you mean about 'tougher, hard-hitting campaigns'? What exactly does that mean?

It seems to be the default answer to all problems in Singapore, just increase the fines, put people in prison or ban the problem.

I've seen a couple of the HIV campaigns that have been run in Singapore. One campaign was displaying a young couple embracing each other. They had lots of blisters from some kind of sexual transmitted disease. The message on the posters was to not have sex with anyone than your regular partner and preferably wait until you are married. This is the classical American abstinence approach.

Singapore is living in denial, HIV can be avoided and it's not that contagious as many people think. The answer is very simple, use condoms and you will be safe from HIV.

The problem with the abstinence and scare campaigns is that they do not reach the people that needs the sex education most. They alienate the gay community, promiscuous youth and single guys that seek out the prostitutes. These people will not learn anything from those 'education campaigns' and they will certainly not stop having sex.

The answer is honest education, to admit that it is ok to have sex and possible to have safe sex, even if you are promiscuous, gay or just a bit more liberal in your attitudes that the average Singaporean.

I wonder is anyone else of the opinion that the influx of sex workers into Singapore may be another part of the reason why HIV cases has gone up? It appears our country is saturated with sex workers although this seems to get little attention. Weren't sex workers supposed to be confined to legal brothels in the red light district? Or has the red light district been extended to include Joo Chiat, Katong, Duxton Road, Tanjong Pagar, Neil Road, Chinatown, Orchard Road and oh yes let's not forget our heartlands. Harder-hitting education campaigns may address part of the problem but if temptation is rampant, how do you address that? I hope we have not turned a blind eye to just how many sex workers are living and working here and pretending that this is in no way part of the problem.