Recent research shows that the main cause of HIV/AIDS infection in Bahrain is no longer unhygienic needles and intravenous drug paraphernalia but transmission through sexual relations, the head of the National Sexually-Transmitted Diseases Programme and head of the Naim Health Centre Council, Dr Somaiya Al Jowder, has said.
The Kingdom has a closely-monitored AIDS programme and there are 109 HIV-infected patients and 22 with full-blown AIDS, Dr Al Jowder said on the sidelines of a UNDP-organised workshop, entitled ‘Multi-sectoral Workshop on Leadership for an Early Response to HIV/AIDS in the Gulf Countries.’
The Unicef Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa, the Executive Board of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council and UNAIDS are taking part in the workshop organised in co-operation of the Ministry of Health. Minister, Dr Nada Haffadh, addressed the delegates from the region in the opening session.
Presentations on the challenges national health systems face in tackling AIDS were made by delegates from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen. In most cases, the experts complained of a lack of data on HIV/AIDS in the region, where the perceived causes such as sexual transmission and intravenous drug usage are taboo subjects. This has led to poor knowledge of risky behaviour in medical circles and among risk groups. The problem is aggravated by lack of inputs such as sex education for young boys and girls and enough trained staff to provide care to HIV/AIDS infected persons, they said.
Dr Nada promised that the ministry would give top priority to the campaign to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and work with other agencies to take the programme forward.
The Director of HIV/AIDS Bureau for Development Policy at the UNDP, Dr Monica Sharma, made an important distinction when she said that although HIV/AIDS was a medical problem, the solution lay not in deploying medical technology but in seeking to modify the cultural response to the pandemic.
“HIV/AIDS is not just about a virus. It is also about sex and sexuality, stigma and discrimination, gender, power relations, silence, death and denial,” she said.
“The persistence of HIV/AIDS relates to the nature of the response so far. Globally, there is more money available to address HIV/AIDS than ever before. The technology to provide treatment to those who need it is available. Yet, less than eight per cent of those who need treatment in developing countries have access to it. The central constraint is the capacity challenge: there are far less human resources, institutions and networks than needed to respond to the epidemic particularly in developing countries.”
Many GCC delegates believe that these are the same challenges their countries face. “Among the regions of the world, the GCC perhaps is not as seriously affected by HIV/AIDS as the sub-Saharan or African regions or parts of Asia,” said Oussama Tawi of the Cairo-based UNAIDS agency. “But the trend is on the increase and GCC countries would do well to focus on prevention before it is too late. The workshop seeks to initiate dialogue between national partners – education and healthcare agencies and NGOs.”
Dr Al Jowder said that the ministry had put together 10 persons from different ministries and is drawing up plans for comprehensive and co-ordinated efforts to invest in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. “We are looking at an awareness campaign targeting the parliamentarians so that we can create stronger political awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” she said. “There is much at stake since we are working to dismantle overwhelming prejudice against HIV/AIDS patients that puts them at the bottom of the priority list in families and society. Through better co-ordination of educational tools, better sex education, we hope young men and women will be empowered by knowledge to make the right choice, shoulder responsibility and take the first step towards a preventive campaign against this disease.”
Last update on: 27-6-2004