Cambodia
With a population over 17.000000 Cambodia had an estimated 76000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2022. This number has fallen from a peak of 83000 PLHIV in 2010. This remarkable decline is mainly due to the decline of newly infected children from 0 to 14 years old. In 2010 there were nearly 6000 children infected in this age group by 2022 that number had dropped to 2000.
In Cambodia in 2022 there were1400 new HIV infections. Around1000 new infections were diagnosed in men (most MSM) around 500 in women. More good news: the number ofAIDS related deaths since 2010 has dropped by 30%.
But the UN target of 90-90-90 has not been reached yet. In 2022 86% of people living with HIV knew their status 86% of them were treated with HIV medication which suppressed the virus for 84% of them. One of the reasons that the target numbers have not been reached is the fact that nearly 18% of Cambodian sex-workers a large key population group avoid healthcare because of stigma and discrimination.
(Source: UNAIDS 2023)
SAN SEYHA, life at the Mekong river
March 2017, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
According to UNAIDS, in Cambodia’s population of about 15 million about 80,000 (0.53%) are infected with HIV. New infections come to just over 1,000 a year. The HIV and AIDS epidemic therefore seems reasonably controlled. Those in Cambodia most affected by HIV are drug users, transgenders, entertainment workers and men who have sex with men.
Photographer Erik Smits spent a day with San Seyha, a young man who works on a tourist boat during the day and as a sex worker at night.
Friends
Family life and HIV
Transgender
MSM or Gay