Today is World AIDS Day

01 December 2007
Report: Soodh

Although only 13 cases of HIV and AID cases has been reported in Maldives, AIDS poses a huge potential danger to Maldives said a doctor who wishes to remain anonymous. He made the statement while discussing the increasing expatriate population, recent talks in town regarding the deportation of 2 expatriate workers who were HIV positive and the undercover prostitution going on in the country.

Today is the world’s AIDS day. Department of Public Health (DPH), as part of the activities to mark the day, has distributed red ribbons to all government and private sector offices. The red ribbon has been an international symbol of HIV for 15 years and is worn to show your support for the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide.

A survey conducted by Miadhu revealed that people’s ideas on AIDS remain very immature. “Every year we wear this red ribbon to show our support” said an office staff expressing support.

Many of the articles published on websites regarding the day states that people are taking the issue less seriously than in the eighties. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) say the reason the sudden change in the way people look at AIDS is no longer considered a terminal illness. Although many governments are making available drugs and other medication to make the HIV more bearable, people tend to forget that it is a disease that they will have live with for the rest of their lives.

Reports indicate HIV is more common among gay couples. In America Washington DC has the highest number of HIV cases says American newspapers yesterday.

The doctor who wishes to remain anonymous said that it is quite possible that HIV may not be indicated when the expatriates are screened during the medical examination. The doctor also said that if these expatriates have sex and if their partners are not careful it is possible others might get affected. Maldives now have a considerable amount of youth population engaged in drug abuse and the needles used by addicts can easily be a medium for transmitting the disease. He also said that prostitution is one most common ways of transmitting the disease.

“India, Thailand and Sri Lanka are countries where HIV is quite high when compared to other countries of the region, we visit these three quite often” said a member of the general public interviewed by Miadhu.

DPH reports that 13 Maldivian are affected by HIV, which includes 2 women and 11 men. According to DPH the probable cause for the virus in the 13 is unsafe sex. DPH urges all concerned to be more cautious and observe recommended guidelines for the protection of the disease. DPH says that while Maldivian has died of AIDS only 3 are alive.

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005 of which, more than half a million (570,000) were children.

The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Program for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.