Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 11/30/2006

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - IRAQ: " Men here believe they are immune to the disease "

2 - JORDAN: AIDS high-risk groups must be controlled, says senior official

1 - IRAQ: " Men here believe they are immune to the disease "

BAGHDAD, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Iraq has traditionally had one of the lowest

incidences of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East. This started to slowly change after

the US-led invasion in 2003 brought hundreds of foreigners into the country,

opening the doors for the spread of the virus, health workers say.

The Baghdad-based AIDS Research Centre said that new cases are appearing monthly

and with the current chaos in the public health services, patients might suffer

severely with the lack of appropriate medicines.

Nearly 100 Iraqis with AIDS have registered with the centre but authorities

believe that about twice this number exist who have not registered.

Um Khalid (not her real name) caught the virus from her husband. After

discovering he was postitive, he left his wife with three young children and

travelled abroad.

" I am one of the many victims of HIV in Iraq. My husband betrayed me. At least

if he had used condoms with the prostitute, I would not be sick today. This is a

common problem in Iraq because men here believe they are immune to the disease.

I worry for the hundreds of young men who think like this and will be the next

victims of the prostitutes who contaminate my country.

" Since my husband left me, I support my three children by myself. My health is

getting worse every day, especially because the only centre in Iraq for AIDS

treatment is lacking some medicines and I cannot afford the rest [available in

the private sector].

" I don't worry if I die because it will be my destiny. But I just think about my

children who will become orphans without anyone to take care of them. My

[extended] family has abandoned us, saying that my disease could be passed on to

other family members and [they believe] my children are sick for sure.

" I know it is hard in a Muslim country like Iraq to speak about condoms and

sexual relations out of marriage, but it is the reality in the country and the

government should do more to prevent young people having the same destiny that I

now have. "

as/ar/ed

[ENDS]

2 - JORDAN: AIDS high-risk groups must be controlled, says senior official

AMMAN, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Despite the low prevalence of AIDS in Jordan,

the existence of vulnerable groups that could become infected with the virus and

the difficulty in tracking them are the biggest challenges for the country's new

strategy on AIDS, a senior health official said.

" If we do not control high-risk groups such as sex workers, men having sex with

other men and injecting drug users - which exist in Jordan, but are hidden - we

might face an HIV epidemic in the future, " Dr Ali Ass'ad, Secretary General of

the Ministry of Health and Director of the National AIDS Programme, said during

the launch of Jordan's national strategy for AIDS on Wednesday.

The launch came just ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December.

Ass'ad pointed out that so far no monitoring mechanism for those vulnerable

groups has been effective. " The problem is that we do not know whether sex

workers and homosexuals use the condoms we distribute to them or whether drug

injecting users share syringes, " he said.

" That is why the activities of the new strategy will focus on trying to monitor

those high-risk groups and in general look at the prevention aspects of

HIV/AIDS, " Ass'ad added.

Other sectors of the population referred to by health specialists as 'risk

groups' and to whom HIV/AIDS prevention will be taught include military staff,

health and social workers, young students going abroad, drivers, tourist workers

and refugees.

Since the first AIDS case appeared in Jordan in 1986, the country has registered

a total of 485 reported cases, of which 169 were Jordanians. Of the Jordanians,

76 have died and 93 are still alive, 44 of which are currently receiving

antiretroviral therapy.

In Jordan, antiretroviral therapy is provided to all HIV/AIDS sufferers free of

charge in all of the country's public hospitals, health officials said.

However, the Ministry of Health estimates that up to double the reported cases

of HIV/AIDS exist in the country.

The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) believes that there could be

more than 1,000 cases. " There is a problem and we believe it is bigger than what

is estimated [by the health ministry], " Dr Sana Naffa, UNAIDS Jordan technical

coordinator, said.

According to UNAIDS, the most common modes of transmission in cases reported in

Jordan in recent years are heterosexual sex, followed by blood transfusions and

mother to child transfusions, homosexual sex and injecting drug users.

HIV/AIDS programme managers in Jordan say that one of the major problems they in

trying to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS preventative actions is the conservative

nature of Jordanian society. Breaking taboos by raising sensitive issues such as

sexual practices is something they have to overcome every day. In addition,

changing perceptions of HIV/AIDS sufferers among health and social workers at

hospitals and prisons is equally difficult.

" To raise the issue of the use of condoms through television commercials, for

instance, has been very complicated, " Dr Adel Belbasi, Secretary General

Assistant for Primary Health Care in the Ministry of Health, said. " The social

stigma and discrimination that HIV/AIDS patients perceive from health and social

workers can seriously affect their quality of life, " he added.

mfm/ar/ed

[ENDS]

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Subscriber: AIDS treatments

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - IRAQ: " Men here believe they are immune to the disease "

2 - JORDAN: AIDS high-risk groups must be controlled, says senior official

1 - IRAQ: " Men here believe they are immune to the disease "

BAGHDAD, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Iraq has traditionally had one of the lowest

incidences of HIV/AIDS in the Middle East. This started to slowly change after

the US-led invasion in 2003 brought hundreds of foreigners into the country,

opening the doors for the spread of the virus, health workers say.

The Baghdad-based AIDS Research Centre said that new cases are appearing monthly

and with the current chaos in the public health services, patients might suffer

severely with the lack of appropriate medicines.

Nearly 100 Iraqis with AIDS have registered with the centre but authorities

believe that about twice this number exist who have not registered.

Um Khalid (not her real name) caught the virus from her husband. After

discovering he was postitive, he left his wife with three young children and

travelled abroad.

" I am one of the many victims of HIV in Iraq. My husband betrayed me. At least

if he had used condoms with the prostitute, I would not be sick today. This is a

common problem in Iraq because men here believe they are immune to the disease.

I worry for the hundreds of young men who think like this and will be the next

victims of the prostitutes who contaminate my country.

" Since my husband left me, I support my three children by myself. My health is

getting worse every day, especially because the only centre in Iraq for AIDS

treatment is lacking some medicines and I cannot afford the rest [available in

the private sector].

" I don't worry if I die because it will be my destiny. But I just think about my

children who will become orphans without anyone to take care of them. My

[extended] family has abandoned us, saying that my disease could be passed on to

other family members and [they believe] my children are sick for sure.

" I know it is hard in a Muslim country like Iraq to speak about condoms and

sexual relations out of marriage, but it is the reality in the country and the

government should do more to prevent young people having the same destiny that I

now have. "

as/ar/ed

[ENDS]

2 - JORDAN: AIDS high-risk groups must be controlled, says senior official

AMMAN, 30 November (PLUSNEWS) - Despite the low prevalence of AIDS in Jordan,

the existence of vulnerable groups that could become infected with the virus and

the difficulty in tracking them are the biggest challenges for the country's new

strategy on AIDS, a senior health official said.

" If we do not control high-risk groups such as sex workers, men having sex with

other men and injecting drug users - which exist in Jordan, but are hidden - we

might face an HIV epidemic in the future, " Dr Ali Ass'ad, Secretary General of

the Ministry of Health and Director of the National AIDS Programme, said during

the launch of Jordan's national strategy for AIDS on Wednesday.

The launch came just ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December.

Ass'ad pointed out that so far no monitoring mechanism for those vulnerable

groups has been effective. " The problem is that we do not know whether sex

workers and homosexuals use the condoms we distribute to them or whether drug

injecting users share syringes, " he said.

" That is why the activities of the new strategy will focus on trying to monitor

those high-risk groups and in general look at the prevention aspects of

HIV/AIDS, " Ass'ad added.

Other sectors of the population referred to by health specialists as 'risk

groups' and to whom HIV/AIDS prevention will be taught include military staff,

health and social workers, young students going abroad, drivers, tourist workers

and refugees.

Since the first AIDS case appeared in Jordan in 1986, the country has registered

a total of 485 reported cases, of which 169 were Jordanians. Of the Jordanians,

76 have died and 93 are still alive, 44 of which are currently receiving

antiretroviral therapy.

In Jordan, antiretroviral therapy is provided to all HIV/AIDS sufferers free of

charge in all of the country's public hospitals, health officials said.

However, the Ministry of Health estimates that up to double the reported cases

of HIV/AIDS exist in the country.

The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) believes that there could be

more than 1,000 cases. " There is a problem and we believe it is bigger than what

is estimated [by the health ministry], " Dr Sana Naffa, UNAIDS Jordan technical

coordinator, said.

According to UNAIDS, the most common modes of transmission in cases reported in

Jordan in recent years are heterosexual sex, followed by blood transfusions and

mother to child transfusions, homosexual sex and injecting drug users.

HIV/AIDS programme managers in Jordan say that one of the major problems they in

trying to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS preventative actions is the conservative

nature of Jordanian society. Breaking taboos by raising sensitive issues such as

sexual practices is something they have to overcome every day. In addition,

changing perceptions of HIV/AIDS sufferers among health and social workers at

hospitals and prisons is equally difficult.

" To raise the issue of the use of condoms through television commercials, for

instance, has been very complicated, " Dr Adel Belbasi, Secretary General

Assistant for Primary Health Care in the Ministry of Health, said. " The social

stigma and discrimination that HIV/AIDS patients perceive from health and social

workers can seriously affect their quality of life, " he added.

mfm/ar/ed

[ENDS]

Your input is important. Please complete our annual survey at

http://www.irinnews.org/readership_survey.aspThis is non-reply e-mail. Please do

not hesitate to contact us at Mail@....

Principal donors: IRIN is generously supported by Australia, Canada, Denmark,

ECHO, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and

the United States of America. For more information, go to:

http://www.IRINnews.org/donors

[This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information

service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its

agencies. All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer

to the copyright page (Http://www.irinnews.org/copyright ) for conditions of

use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs.]

PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

Subscriber: AIDS treatments