The campaign was introduced last week ahead of International Condom Day, observed annually on Feb 13, at Yupparaj Wittayalai School in Chiang Mai, reports the Bangkok Post.
It aims to promote condom use and safer sexual practices among youth to prevent HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies.
International Condom Day was established in 2009 by the Aids Healthcare Foundation to raise global awareness of the critical role condoms play in preventing HIV and other STIs.
Songyos Khamchai, head of the Infectious Disease Control Department at the Chiang Mai Public Health Office, said HIV infections among adolescents and young adults remain a pressing concern.
Figures from the Disease Control Department under the Ministry of Public Health show that last year, 13,357 people were newly diagnosed with HIV nationwide, bringing the cumulative number of people living with HIV in Thailand to 547,556.
Of the new cases, 35% were among individuals aged 15–24. Health officials said 96.4% of infections were linked to unprotected sexual contact.
In Chiang Mai, 731 new HIV cases were recorded last year. The province has 22,387 people living with HIV, of whom 21,576 are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the public healthcare system.
Between October 2025 and January 2026, authorities projected around 173 additional HIV diagnoses in Chiang Mai, averaging 44 new cases per month. Of those identified, 160 have begun ART.
Health officials also reported a sharp rise in other STIs, particularly syphilis, suggesting continued gaps in preventive behaviour.
“We need to intensify campaigns promoting condom use and expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing kits,” Mr Songyos said, noting these services are available free of charge at public hospitals, subdistrict health-promoting hospitals and through civil society organisations.
Kritsiam Arayawongchai, country programme director of AHF Thailand, said the organisation - headquartered in Los Angeles and operating in more than 50 countries - observes International Condom Day annually to reinforce the importance of condom use in HIV prevention.
“Chiang Mai is among the provinces with relatively high HIV infection rates,” he said. “Through this campaign, we want young people to understand that condoms remain one of the most effective and accessible tools for preventing HIV, other STIs and unintended pregnancies.”