Fighting AIDS and misinformation remains an international concern

Voluntary counseling and testing centers may reduce the spread of the AIDS virus, which threatens the whole world- including Yemen. This problem was the aim of a workshop held by the National AIDS Program (NAP), in Sana’a.  Around 14 voluntary counseling and testing centers have been opened in Sana’a, Taiz, Ibb, Dhamar, Hadramout - Mukalla, Hodeidah and are currently being geared up for the opening of seven new centers next year, according to Dr. Abdul-Hamid al-Suhebi. People can visit these centers to check whether they are infected or not- their names and personal details will not be recorded.

“Our program seeks to provide services to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child during birth. Yemen is one of the countries in the Middle East which is providing such a service. If we manage not to transmit the infection via mothers to children that will decrease the number of patients with the virus in upcoming generations,” said al-Suhebi. 

Statistics from the first half of 2008 said that the expected number of patients with the virus reached 108 cases, bringing the total to 2431 infections since the discovery of the first case in 1987, according to NAP. The number of AIDS cases reached 2323 last year, while cases rose to 2431 by June of 2008, according to the latest statistics issued by NAP. 

According to statistics from the Ministry of Public Health and Population, the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in Yemen has increased exponentially over the last two decades.  

The figure rose from a single case in 1990 to 60 cases in 1996. By 2001, that number had increased to 870, and by 2006 it had increased to 1,821. However, these numbers probably dramatically underestimate the number of Yemeni people with the virus.  

“These statistics are not fixed or trustworthy. We are not sure of the correct number because we do not get the number from the survey we did, but the cases recorded are coming from hospitals and laboratories. Moreover, we just evaluate the number of cases,” stated al-Suhebi. 

Fewer women than men are known to be infected, but this may be because men are forced to undergo testing for the virus in order to obtain visas, therefore the statistics can be mis-leading.

Al-Suhebi said that the number of AIDS cases in Yemen is less than other countries because Yemenis are more religious [they do not refer to illegal sexual relations]. Two years ago, the number of newly infected people in the Middle East was about 62,000 and about 58,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded. In 2005, the total number of people living with HIV in the Middle East was 510,000, according to UN statistics. 

AIDS is not only a disease which leads to the death of the infected individual, it also affects the entire community.  People aged 25-49 are most susceptible to the virus, which means the working age category is most endangered, stated al-Suhebi. He said as members of this age category die, it has a direct economic effect on the country.  

While people living with HIV/AIDS in Yemen are often publicly disgraced, perceptions associated with the virus are slowly being challenged. Compared to two years ago, many people are now becoming aware of HIV/AIDS - most simply don't understand the disease; and some still consider it disgraceful and shameful for one to be afflicted by HIV/AIDS. Al-Suhebi stated patients are often unfairly treated by the community and doctors themselves, adding that AIDS is just like any other disease. Being infected by AIDS does not mean the person has done something wrong. The virus can be transmitted through a blood test if a dirty needle is used or through sexual relations between spouses. 

“Many patients who did not speak about their infection due to fear and did not care about transmitting the virus to others have now changed their views and are more aware and careful not to transmit the virus to others. A case was discovered, where a policeman had taken a patient as if he had done something wrong when he may not have done anything but was infected by others.”   

People should send a message of love and mercy to those people living with AIDS; the enemy is the disease itself, not the patients. The government and the individual must fight this disease, taking into consideration all of man’s rights to life, healthcare, medication, labor and housing.

Some Yemenis blame neighboring countries for the spread of AIDS to Yemen, and use past statistics to show that as the number of refugees entering Yemen has grown, the number of those infected with the virus has risen. But many experts deny that there is any such connection.

“Around 1500 people got the benefit from  voluntary counseling and testing centers. We cannot offer all patients medicine, but we provide to those who are really in need and cannot wait for their turn.” A World Bank report, Preventing HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa, points out that the region has all the core factors that make it vulnerable to an HIV/AIDS epidemic. These include inadequate surveillance systems, a large population of unemployed youth, significant migration, intraregional conflicts, inadequate knowledge of preventive measures, cultural and social values that lead to widespread stigma and fear, and insufficient access to information. 

The report lays out a strategy for governments in the region to step up preventative efforts and utilize international expertise to put these plans into action.

Many experts believe that 15 cases go unreported for every case officially recorded, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 11,277 people in Yemen are infected.

Yemen remains one of the least developed countries in the world, and needs a lot of help and support to fight such fatal diseases. Recently, a $10.6 million program, financed by the Global Fund, aims to support the Government of Yemen to stabilize the HIV prevalence rate amongst the general Yemeni population and high risk and vulnerable groups, and implement the internationally recognized rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS acts (PLWAs), including entitlement to humane medical care by 2010.  

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