Health Diplomats Stories
Profiles in Health Diplomacy
Ms. Supaporn Chaikummao
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A rising trend in HIV cases among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Thailand has a number of doctors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and observers worried. Among them is Ms. Supaporn Chaikummao, clinic manager at the Silom Community Clinic, which is a “model clinic integrating research and services for MSM.”
While great strides in combating HIV/AIDS have been made, new studies show that the number of HIV cases in MSM has dramatically increased in the last few years. In Bangkok the estimates rose from 17% to 28% between 2003 and 2005. “We have learned from our study that HIV is still a big problem in MSM, unlike in most of the rest of the Thai population,” says Ms. Supaporn.
A rise in HIV cases in the MSM population in Thailand could easily have a spillover effect on the rest of the Thai population. In fact, HIV/AIDS in MSM has been at the core of the HIV epidemic since its beginning. The first reported case of AIDS in Thailand was of a homosexual male and most of the early HIV cases in the country occurred in MSM. Today, MSM are second only to injection drug users as the group with the highest prevalence of HIV in Thailand. Nonetheless, heterosexual populations have been the focus of the Thai government’s successful, and now famous, HIV prevention campaigns. Consequently, awareness of HIV status and prevention knowledge among MSM in Thailand remains low, thereby increasing the likelihood of infection in this particular group.
This is why Ms. Supaporn and her colleagues at the Silom Community Clinic work day and night with MSM to prevent HIV infection, as well as with the community to help prevent stigmatization and discrimination. It’s a challenge that she and others like her face everyday as they fight the disease itself and the stigma surrounding it.
But Ms. Supaporn is no ordinary caregiver. She has an extensive background in public health that she brings with her as a leading team player in the U.S. Embassy’s extensive network of health and medical research. Having earned degrees in nursing and public health administration, Ms. Supaporn Chaikummao (“Pii Moo,” as many of her colleagues call her) currently works with the Thailand MOPH – U.S. CDC Collaboration (TUC).
Ms. Supaporn has worked with health agencies at the U.S. Mission to Thailand for many years. Her first assignment with the U.S. government was as a research nurse with the Department of Medicine of the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS). During the eight years she worked with AFRIMS she contributed to malaria studies in refugee camps, military border patrol posts, and other locations near border areas with Cambodia and Burma. She then transferred to the TUC where, between 1991 and 2004, she worked as research coordinator for various HIV/AIDS research studies in Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand.
Subsequently, she re-located to Bangkok with new responsibilities as clinic manager of the Silom Community Clinic for TUC’s Behavioral Research Section. The clinic opened in 2005 with the goal of providing two key services: HIV voluntary counseling and testing (HIV-VTC) and clinical research to prevent HIV infection. Set up to develop a model that others in Thailand and around the world could replicate, the Silom Community Clinic has provided a valuable venue for HIV prevention research. The clinic receives numerous Thai and foreign visitors interested in learning how to provide health services for special groups.
Ms. Supaporn believes most people would be surprised to learn that the CDC has a clinic that provides services to MSM. She explains the clinic’s work is critical since MSM is a sexual orientation minority group that has trouble accessing services in the Thai health system. Ms. Supaporn and her colleagues at the clinic provide not only high-quality care for their MSM clients but also with great respect and in a way that ensures privacy and confidentiality.
Speaking about her work, Ms. Supaporn says: “The most rewarding thing about my job is working to stop HIV in the most vulnerable people. While scientists are fighting the HIV epidemic in the abstract, our work has a human touch, since we work with people directly. Their experiences tell many life stories. We share with them their life secrets, happiness, passion, love, regret, shame, and fear. We are ready for them to listen and give our friendship. We are with them the first time they learn their HIV infection status. We support and encourage them in every way to strive for a better life as a person with HIV/AIDS.” Ms. Supaporn also greatly values the work environment at the clinic. She notes how much she appreciates her colleagues, their dedication and love for their work and the way they support each other in order to reach common goals.
Ms. Supaporn realized early on during the Thai HIV epidemic that she needed to learn as much as she could about the disease in order to be ready to help fight against it. Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with its expertise in HIV prevention, surveillance, investigation, and control, had been one of her dreams as a nursing student. Of working at the CDC she adds: “CDC is a world-famous organization and its work influences public health worldwide. Being a member of this great effort was irresistible.”
Currently, Ms. Supaporn and her colleagues at the Silom Clinic are working on a study that follows the health status of a group of over 1,000 MSM for a period of three years. She and other researchers hope to learn more about the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, risk behaviors, and effective preventive measures among Thai MSM to better focus future efforts.
To learn more about the work of CDC in Thailand, please click here.