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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (116409)	10/8/2003 8:50:53 PM
From: Sam Citron	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

It's obvious to me that the most effective way of bringing about the changes in sexual behavior that are needed is through a mass advertising campaign (such as the Minister of Family Planning in Thailand used in the pre-Aids era to bring down the fertility rate with distribution of free condoms at bus stations, humorous placards, free keychains with condoms attached in lucite holders with the words "Break in case of emergency", etc.) plus free AIDS testing, counselling and education. I'm not sure just what it means that the administration is requiring that a third of AIDS prevention funds must be used to encourage sexual abstinence until marriage. The radical Christian right fringe that rules the USA right now believes that AIDS is caused by extramarital sex, rather than unprotected sex. If it were not so tragically sad, it would be rather funny.

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (116409)	10/8/2003 11:46:32 PM
From: frankw1900	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Muslim nations stone adulterers; their HIV rates are very low. There is a connection between these two facts. Or, are they just late to the game? The prevalence is low but the rate of infection appears not to be. Reporting varies enormously. From WHO: Iran, per UNAIDS/WHO Fact Sheet 2002 Estimated number of adults and children living with HIV/ AIDS, end of 2001 Adults and children 20,000 Adults (15-49) 20,000 Adult rate (%) <0.1 Women (15-49) 5,000 Children (0-15) <200 Based on the reported data, the HIV epidemic in the Islamic Republic of Iran appears to be accelerating at an alarming trend. According to reports by the National AIDS programme , the number ,1159 of newly diagnosed HIV infections and AIDS cases in 2001 shows a three-fold increase in comparison to both years 2000 and 1999. This considerable increase may indicate another outbreak The previous dramatic increase had occurred in 1997 , when the number of HIV/ AIDS cases had reached 815 new infections. Injecting drug use drives the epidemic in the I. R. of Iran. In 2001, 64% of all AIDS cases were injecting drug users. The data on HIV seroprevalence among IDUs shows the highest rates of infection compared to all other tested groups. IDU have tested positive in 1996 and a prevalence was found of 5.7% of cases in 1996 , 1.7% in 1997. The data is variable as it relates to occurrence of well-known outbreaks among ID users in prisons. Consequently, it is not surprising to note that HIV rates among prisoners rose up to six times higher in 1999 compared to 1996. Likewise we observe a high rate of HIV seropositive tests among attendants of Voluntary counselling and testing centers, because these centers mainly serve drug users. VCT was introduced in 1999 and accounts for a considerable percentage of all annual HIV infections. The HIV prevalence rate among VCT attendants was around 3% in 1999 and 4% in 2001 . There has been significant increase of total numbers of reported STD cases in the country during the period of 1995 to 1998. Candidiasis, Trichomoniasis, Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are the four main causes account for over 60% of the total diagnosed cases. who.int The numbers are tiny compared to sub-Saharan Africa where prevalence is over 20% in some places but I would not be sanguine if I were an Iranian public health officer. Compare the fact sheets for Egypt and Libya. I don't care how socially conservative the Egytians claim to be, the numbers are absurd. who.int who.int The rates in sub-Sahahran Africa are catastrophic, and casualties far exceed death and disability caused by most major wars. Kristol's point is well taken in this respect: a calamity of this size requires response in every possible mode. You're right regarding the parallel to TB. Just last year a Canadian judge had to jail a man because he wasn't taking his TB medication and insisted on circulating.