Poverty Has Led to Rapid Spread of AIDS in Afghanistan – Afghan Official

Text of report in Dari entitled: “Public Health Ministry advisor: An estimated 3,000 people have been infected with AIDS in Afghanistan” by independent Afghan newspaper Rah-e Nejat on 6 September

Speaking to Rah-e Nejat in an exclusive interview, Abdollah Fahim, advisor for the Public Health Ministry, said that an estimated fifteen hundred to three thousand people have been infected with the AIDS virus throughout Afghanistan.

According to Rah-e Nejat, the advisor said that the figure is based on an estimate. He said the official figure of the Public Health Ministry shows that 245 AIDS cases have been registered throughout the country. The infection was either discovered by accident or when patients suffering from this disease referred to healthcare centres.

The advisor said that the young people were mainly susceptible to AIDS and the disease threatened the young people more than ever as a number of them have been engaged in moral corruption or sexual activities.

Dr. Abdollah Fahim also said that those who are using drugs through injection are also at serious risk.

Terming poverty as one of the main factors behind the outbreak of this disease, the advisor said: “There are individuals who have been driven to prostitution by strict poverty to feed their families and this issue rapidly spread AIDS in society.”

The advisor minister also said that increasing public awareness would help prevent the spread of this virus in the country. To prevent more people from being infected with this fatal disease, this issue would be included in school and university curricula and its consequences would also be announced through mosques and [Friday Prayer] sermons, the advisor said.

He also said five treatment centres have been established in the country to diagnose and identify people suffering from this disease. The advisor said these centres have been established in four main cities.

It is worth pointing out that the Public Health Ministry plans to prevent the increase of AIDS in the country by taking preventive measures. The World Bank last week gave the Public Health Ministry $10m grant for this purpose.

Originally published by Rah-e Nejat, Kabul in Dari 6 Sep 07.

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