UNITED NATIONS: Even though HIV prevalence is still relatively low in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), it has increased in recent years, a 2010 UNAIDS report said.
On World AIDS day, the joint United Nations program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, discussed the results of the report in a press conference on Wednesday.
The speakers attributed the increase of HIV to the social stigma of HIV in the region.
The report also showed that the number of new HIV infections in the MENA region has increased from 36,000 people infected in 2001, to 75,000 in 2009. According to the report, the number of AIDS-related deaths has also increased from 8,300 deaths in 2001 to 23,000 in 2009.
Despite these increases, the MENA region still has an overall low percentage of HIV cases, with MENA HIV cases accounting for a mere 0.2 percent of the world adult population infected with the disease.
Tim Martinau, the director of program effectiveness and country support at the UNAIDS Headquarters, said that the new report demonstrated there has been a decrease in HIV prevalence worldwide, with the MENA region and Eastern Europe being the only two exceptions.
Martinau stated that despite global success, a lot of work has yet to be done. He suggested that increasing HIV awareness in the region would help cap the rise in infection cases.
Hussein El Gezairy, the WHO regional director for its Eastern Mediterranean regional office, said that the stigma of AIDS in the MENA region is preventing those infected from undergoing medical tested and obtaining the treatment they desperately need.
El Gezairy added that, even though there is free treatment for the disease in most MENA countries, only 13.1 percent of those who need the treatment actually receive it.
El Gezairy suggested that a comprehensive program be implemented to fight the increase in HIV infection cases through disease prevention, treatment, and work to promote the public’s awareness of the disease, thereby removing the social stigma attached to it.
“We need a political and a social will to treat the people infected with HIV like everybody else,” said El Gezairy.
He also added that increasing secret testing units in the MENA region is vital in encouraging people to get tested for HIV without fear of the societal repercussions that might stem from getting tested for the disease in the first place.
El Gezairy said that encouraging people infected with the HIV virus does not only benefit their own health, but it also benefits society since treating those infected with HIV and raising their awareness will decrease the probability that they will infect others.
The demographics most susceptible to the disease in the MENA region are drug users who use syringes, sex workers, and homosexual males, according to El Gezairy.
El Gezairy stated that more funding is needed in order to stop the increase of the disease in the region while it’s still under control. He urged the International Fund to increase its allocation of funds for AIDS prevention in the MENA region, which he stated has not as of yet been a major problem due to the historically low prevalence of HIV in the region.
“When you have a small fire, you should put it out before it becomes bigger,” El Gezairy said.
Hind Khatib, the UNAIDS regional director for MENA, said that the new numbers are alarming but confirmed that the region still has a low overall level of infection.
“We won’t rest easy because our [HIV] levels are still low,” El Khatib stated. “There is a lot to be done to stop the increase.”
She added that the 2010 Dubai Consensus, which was signed by ministers within the MENA area, promised to increase efforts to prevent and treat HIV in the region.
Wessam El Beih, UNAIDS country officer for Egypt, said that there have been significant improvements in the national program to fight AIDS in Egypt.
El Beih added that there are currently 29 anonymous HIV testing facilities in Egypt, but that overall public awareness about the disease must still be raised.
A study conducted on Egyptian youth aged 15–24 showed that only 4.8 percent of females and 13.8 percent of males have sufficient knowledge of AIDS, according to El Beih.
“This [lack of knowledge of the disease] is unacceptable, because if you don’t have enough knowledge, you can’t protect yourself,” said El Beih.
El Beih added that the estimated number of HIV infections in Egypt is 11,000.
Amr Waked, UNAIDS goodwill ambassador for the MENA region, emphasized the importance of removing existing prejudices against those infected with HIV and giving them the opportunity to live their lives normally.
Waked added that people infected with HIV in the MENA region are deprived of education, work opportunities, and free travel, which takes away their right to live normal lives and to be productive members of society.
“Behind the numbers, there are people like you and me, we have to respect their feelings,” said Waked. “We are not fighting a disease. We are fighting society’s view of a disease.”
