Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- The father of a 7-year-old steps in front of an oncoming car to kill himself, wracked by guilt after contracting HIV from a prostitute. At the last second, his wife saves him. He repents. She forgives. They embrace. Roll credits.

Singapore has turned to soap opera to stem an HIV infection rate that’s doubled in the past decade. “By My Side,” a 20- episode series in Mandarin with English subtitles, tells the story of a married, middle-aged Chinese man who contracts the AIDS-causing virus, a reflection of the campaign’s target age group. Tomorrow, a pop concert will also try to get more young people talking about, and having, safer sex.

The government has more than doubled the number of anonymous testing clinics and is overhauling sex education to curb the spread of HIV. While neighbors such as Thailand and Malaysia have higher infection rates, the number of new cases detected in those countries is falling.

“There’s a change of mindset” in the government, said Zack, a 37-year-old HIV-patient who didn’t want his real name published for fear he may lose business. “They’re being more serious than about five years back.”

Singapore, Asia’s wealthiest economy per person adjusted for purchasing power, diagnosed about 12 new HIV cases for every 100,000 people last year, versus less than 6 in 100,000 in 1997, health ministry figures show.

In all, about 0.2 percent of the country’s people aged 15 to 49 had HIV last year, according to UNAIDS, the United Nations agency that tracks the epidemic. The rate is one of Asia’s lowest, compared with 1.4 percent in Thailand, the highest, and 0.5 percent in Malaysia.

Thailand’s rate is down from 1.7 percent in 2001, and new cases in Malaysia have fallen every year since 2002. Hong Kong, with 50 percent more people than Singapore’s 4.8 million, had fewer cases than the city-state in seven of the past 10 years.

Gonorrhea, Chlamydia

While the soap opera focuses on HIV-AIDS, gonorrhea, chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections are spreading as young Singaporeans become sexually active earlier. New cases of STIs other than HIV among people aged 10 to 19 jumped to more than 800 last year from 238 in 2002, according to government statistics. More than half were in girls.

A Health Promotion Board survey published last month showed young people knew least of any age group about ways to prevent HIV-AIDS. They’re the target of a concert tomorrow featuring Singapore Idol winner and local heartthrob Hady Mirza and comediennes Dim Sum Dollies, aimed at reaching youth with the safe-sex slogan, “Don’t let AIDS get in the way of love.” It’s timed to coincide with World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.

Condom Knowledge

Popular misunderstandings about HIV and cultural taboos surrounding sex are also hindering efforts to curb infections, the board’s survey of more than 1,700 people found. About half those polled weren’t aware condoms can block HIV. Three in four said they wouldn’t eat with an infected person.

“There’s obviously a lack of knowledge, and we’ve got to do a lot of education,” Balaji Sadasivan, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State and chairman of its National HIV/AIDS Policy Committee, said in a Nov. 26 interview.

That’s where the soap opera comes in. “By My Side” was designed to reduce the stigma associated with HIV, dispel myths about how it’s transmitted and show how the virus can affect anyone, said Tan Lay Hong, the programming manager for Channel 8, which aired the soap opera.

“The topic is still very much taboo,” Tan said in a telephone interview. “We wanted to reduce the stigma attached to AIDS sufferers and through education, to show that it’s not just gays that contract the disease. Just one mistake can ruin your life and your family’s lives.”

Peak Viewing

Early evidence suggests it’s working: 23 percent more people have gone for voluntary, anonymous HIV testing at the city-state’s first three clinics since the series started airing last month, the Health Promotion Board said. The nightly, one- hour program also had the highest prime-time audience on Channel 8 for its 20-episode season, which finished Nov. 24.

“We originally went for knowledge and attitude, but now we’re actually seeing behavior-change,” said JoAnn Taylor, the board’s deputy director of communicable disease education, in a Nov. 26 interview.

The program’s protagonist Chen Bufan, played by Chen Hanwei, represents the target audience: married, middle-aged Chinese men who don’t think they’re at risk of contracting HIV and don’t take appropriate precautions when being unfaithful. Leading Singapore actress Zoe Tay plays his forgiving spouse Lin Xinya.

Men who visit prostitutes overseas are one of the two main groups contributing to the rise in infections, Balaji said. The other is gay men.

While prostitution is legal in licensed brothels in Singapore, health officials say the city-state’s men often prefer the anonymity and cheaper rates of Bangkok and the convenience of Batam, an Indonesian island one hour by ferry from Singapore.

New Clinics

Earlier this month the government opened four new anonymous testing clinics, bringing the total to seven. It estimates that only about half of Singapore’s HIV cases have been diagnosed, and the number of reported infections is likely to increase as more people volunteer to be tested, Balaji said.

“I expect the numbers to go up,” he said. “But because of these new measures that will bring people who are HIV undiagnosed into the diagnosed pool, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 28, 2008 04:56 EST