While the epidemic in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia is not nearly as severe as that in sub-Saharan Africa, the problem is significant, especially because HIV/AIDS largely affects young adults, the study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington said.
The study, which appeared in the peer-reviewed journal AIDS, examines the impact of HIV/AIDS in terms of "disability-adjusted life years", a measurement which combines years of life lost to premature death with years lived with disability.
Thailand remains one of the countries most severely affected by HIV/AIDS, despite a strong public health response and a fall of nearly 59% in deaths since the peak of the epidemic in 2000, the study said.
In 2011, there were 490,000 people living with HIV in Thailand and 23,000 died from AIDS, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations agency for HIV/AIDS. The IHME says HIV/AIDS is responsible for 4.4% of all deaths in Thailand.
Thailand has reduced HIV infections among sex workers through its 100% condom campaign in brothels, but has had less success in controlling HIV among two other at-risk groups: intravenous drug users and male homosexuals.
The IHME said there were "no intervention efforts directed" at drug users. The prevalence of HIV among gay men in the Thai capital Bangkok has risen from around 17% in 2003 to almost 30% in 2011.
