RCA ties up with Ministry of Health to spread awareness on AIDS

The Red Crescent Authority (RCA) has joined hands with the Ministry of Health to provide the public with information about AIDS and other infectious diseases.

People who want to know more about AIDS can contact the training and health education department at the RCA by dialling 02-6419000. The initiative is part of the healthcare and first aid strategy of the International Federation of Red Crescent.

"The Red Crescent is keen to play a major role in the field of health education and raise awareness about such diseases as AIDS," said an RCA official.

"Since we reach out to those who are more in need of help, we can easily deliver along with healthcare an educational message that can help curb the spread of diseases."

The official was speaking on the sidelines of the regional meeting of the World Health Organisation on HIV/AIDS and Sexual Transmittable Infections Surveillance and Monitoring, held in Abu Dhabi.

Reaching out to people and AIDS patients is one of the major tasks of the health authorities, since prejudices and misconceptions about the disease are still present, the RCA official added.

"The UAE to date avails of the most advanced treatments to fight the disease. Nevertheless, the main problem is to reach out to patients and their families who do not take medical services and to provide them assistance," said Dr Ali Al Marzouqi, manager of the disease control department at the Ministry of Health.

He said the UAE is trying to detect and control the disease by screening as many residents as possible, but a full detection of all HIV cases is impossible, as in any other country.

Apart from combating the spread of the HIV, the authority has also been busy grappling with the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

More than three months after the war ended, the RCA is still providing relief in the country as are several other international aid agencies. The RCA, in fact, joined Iraq relief efforts in the 1990s after UN sanctions were imposed.

Earlier this week, a third shipload of relief aid reached here yesterday as part of an assistance campaign launched by the RCA. The ship was carrying containers of medicines, equipment and relief materials as part of the UAE's programme to assist Iraqis.