Every day 16 people test positive for HIV/Aids in Thailand, according to statistics supplied by the Ministry of Public Health's Bureau of Epidemiology on Friday to mark World Aids Day.
This year alone the country saw 5,801 new cases, averaging 16 per day.
Thailand now has more than 1.5 million registered HIV/Aids-infected patients, accounting 2.3% of the population, according to statistics for 2015 from the same bureau.
To combat the disease the ministry aims to reduce the rate of infection to 1,000 cases a year by 2030, or three new patients per day.
Another target is to lower the fatality rate to 4,000 cases a year, down from 15,000 at present.
The authority has also launched a new initiative to reduce discrimination and encourage regular tests for the disease.
It has been 33 years since Thailand recorded its first case of HIV/Aids and then introduced controls and preventive measures. It enforced a healthcare policy granting easier access to antiretrovirals in 2002.
HIV/Aids patients are now entitled to healthcare benefits from the National Health Security Office.
The 2015 data also shows that around 355,000 patients were receiving antiretroviral medication as of that year, up 33,000 from 2014. This eases the financial burden for many patients, many of whom are spurned by even their own families.
Meanwhile, figures from the Aids, Tuberculosis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Division under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Health Department show that 80% of HIV infections in Bangkok are transmitted through sexual intercourse.
Over 60% of the infected are aged 25-39.
