Gulf | Qatar
80% of HIV cases blamed on husbands
Eight out of 10 women with HIV in the Arab world have contracted the disease from their husbands, a UN expert said here yesterday urging religious leaders to help rise prevention awareness.
- By Barbara Bibbo', Correspondent
- Published: 23:21 December 10, 2007
Doha: Eight out of 10 women with HIV in the Arab world have contracted the disease from their husbands, a UN expert said here yesterday urging religious leaders to help rise prevention awareness.
Dr Saeed Al Zenari, regional coordinator for the Aids programme at the United Nation Development Programme, said the number of cases of women being infected within the marriage bond is alarmingly high posing a serious threat to families.
"There is a wrong perception in our societies that HIV/Aids infection is a result of adultery and victims are discriminated accordingly. On the contrary, figures available with UNAIDS show that 80 per cent of women in the Arab world have been transmitted the disease by their husbands," Dr Al Zenari told Gulf News. "Women whose husbands have died of Aids are in most cases rejected by their own families," he said.
The expert said the number of the people infected with HIV/Aids in the Arab region is the lowest in the world, between 500,000 and one million. Nevertheless he said Arab countries have the highest infection rate if compared to other regions.
According to UNAIDS, between 2002 and 2004, the number of new cases detected in the Arab world increased by 300 per cent. In 2006, some 68,000 people in the region were newly infected and 36,000 died of Aids.
Data collection
"The total number of the newly infected in the Arab world is higher than the number in North America or Eastern Europe," he said.
Asked to comment on the number of cases in the Gulf region, Al Zenari said data collection about HIV/Aids in the Gulf remains one of the major problems for the health authorities and policy makers.
The latest figures available with the Qatar's National Health Authority put the number of HIV/Aids cases reported to date in Qatar at 228 but the number may be higher.
"We have no reliable data available, because a majority of the people who have the disease either refuse to seek medical care, fearing to be discriminated, or they are unaware of carrying the disease. About 90 per cent of those infected in the Arab region, are not aware of carrying the infection," he added.
'That's not our job'
Al Zenari was speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on HIV/Aids prevention involving religious leaders. He called on imams to raise awareness in mosques about the importance of prevention.
"We can call on people to practice chastity and avoid adultery, but we cannot provide guidelines on medical prevention. That's not our job," said an imam during an open session.
Stigma about Aids is a major problem in Gulf where sexual education and sexual behaviour are a taboo and rarely addressed in public.
2006
36,000 died of aids
- Number of people infected with HIV/Aids in the Arab region is the lowest in the world, between 500,000 and one million.
- Between 2002 and 2004 the number of new cases detected in the Arab world increased by 300 per cent. In 2006, some 68,000 people in the region were newly infected and 36,000 died of HIV.
- About 90 per cent of those infected in the Arab region are not aware of carrying the infection.
Your comments
The UAE should create more awareness about AIDS.
Sara
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 11, 2007, 11:29
HIV symtoms could be similar to any flu. Basically, there are no symtoms and it seems people in the UAE are unaware of what HIV is or how to protect onself. I would suggest the government to rethink the high school curriculum, and include sex education in it.
Kathy
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 11, 2007, 11:18
The figure seems a bogus statics to defame arab world.
Arif
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 11, 2007, 09:44
Gulf News must mention the symtoms of HIV, especially for those infected people who are not aware that they are carrying the infection
Asif
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 11, 2007, 07:49
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