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Ministry of Health and Population takes to the rails to promote
awareness for HIV/AIDS
(reprinted from The Daily Star-Egypt
Edition December 28, 2005)
Cairo: To mark World AIDS Awareness Month,
December 2005, the Ministry of Health and Population—in
collaboration with the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) project Communication for Healthy
Living—decided to get on track to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.
In an innovative attempt to gain attention,
the ministry engaged a six-car train to make the trip from
Alexandria to Aswan. Decorated with promotional messages, the
train made nine stops along the way, in eight different
governorates. The campaign was targeted primarily at youth.
Thirty young men and women boarded the train at each stop to
attend information sessions about HIV/AIDS.
A youth parade was also held at various stops
along the way. Youth paraded from the AIDS hotline center or
health directorate to the train station in an attempt to
generate increased awareness. They marched holding banners
reading, “No to AIDS” and “Together Facing AIDS,” distributing
flyers and campaign materials as they made their way through the
towns.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Health
and Population, there are approximately 1,800 cases of AIDS and
asymptomatic HIV in Egypt today. The World Health Organization
(WHO) challenges these statistics, reporting an estimated 8,000
cases of HIV/AIDS in Egypt. Furthermore, in 2004, UNAIDS reports
540,000 cases of HIV/AIDS were documented in MENA, with an
estimated 28,000 deaths due to AIDS last year. Experts admit the
numbers may be even higher, citing the inability to track and
monitor infected patients as a major fallback.
“We have a low number of cases now, but we
have all the potential for rapid spread,” says Ahmed Ragab,
professor of reproductive health at Al-Azhar University and
author of the study: “Gender and HIV/AIDS in Egypt: Challenges
and Solutions.” “We have to guard against it. It is a minor
threat now, but it has the potential to be a major threat in the
future.”
One of the key aims of the campaign was to
promote the telephone “hotline” established by the Ministry of
Health in collaboration with the Ford Foundation. The hotline
will provide callers with information on reproductive health.
These activities are believed to be essential in designing and
implementing a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS prevention
program in Egypt.
Since 1999, USAID has worked with the Family
Health International (FHI), other donors, NGOs, and the Ministry
of Health and Population to improve blood safety, promote blood
banks’ universal precautions, support the national HIV/AIDS
program, and conduct related research.
Over the next year, USAID is planning to
assist non-government organizations and local health authorities
in working with community groups to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.
As the demand for information on HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases increased, USAID will work to expand the
capabilities of the national HIV/AIDS hotline and counseling
center. Other planned activities include an assessment of risk
factors for disease transmission via blood, and educational
outreach on the risk of sharing syringes or reusing them. USAID
will also support the Ministry of Health’s efforts to provide
appropriate HIV/AIDS care and management.
With the proper care and drug regimen, people
with AIDS can live normal lives for years. But, experience from
many countries demonstrates that well-informed physicians and
caregivers often need to be trained to counsel patients and
their families so that they learn the facts about HIV/AIDS. A
pilot family training activity to teach in-home basic first aid,
and referral systems for comprehensive medical management of
AIDS patients are also planned.
AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) and poses one of the biggest health, social, and
economic challenges in the world. In fact, the National AIDS
Trust Organization states, “HIV is a global emergency claiming
over 8,000 lives every day.” According to UNAIDS estimates,
there are 38 million adults and 2.3 million children living with
HIV, and during 2005, some 4.9 million people became newly
infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become
infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by
AIDS before they are 35.
Activists believe the only way to abolish
false stereotypes is through educational campaigns. Since it is
impossible to control people’s actions, awareness campaigns are
the only route for reaching them, and ultimately, for preventing
an epidemic.
The campaign made its final stop yesterday in
Aswan. |
