Kuwait Times

Published Date: November 29, 2008

(Message from Dr Rashed Al-Owaish, Director, Department of Public Health
National AIDS Program Manager, Ministry of Health)

Welcome to World AIDS Day - the international day of action on HIV/AIDS which takes place every year on Dec 1. The World AIDS Campaign connects and strengthens AIDS campaigns from around the world. Leadership is the theme for World AIDS Day 2008, promoted with the global campaign slogan, "Leaders! Keep The Promise - Stop AIDS" and the regional campaign slogan "Women! Take the Lead." Through a collaborative approach, the campaign brings together diverse voices with the goal of holding world leaders and gove
rnments to account for their promises on AIDS.

Leadership encourages leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and the actions taken to follow them through. Leadership empowers everyone - individuals, organizations, governments to lead in the response to AIDS. Kuwait observes this day and supports the efforts of the international community in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS through specific programmes a
nd policies.

In 2007, people around the world were encouraged to take the lead to stop AIDS. Campaigns took the shape of marches, leadership discussions, public awareness events and pledges from leaders. These events all helped to put leadership in the spotlight. People have offered their leadership; now it is time to deliver. Promises must be kept, and people must feel empowered to act.

World AIDS Day was first declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1988. Since then, it has progressively become one of the most successful " international days" for raising awareness of a global issue. This year, 2008, marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since 1988, the face of and response to AIDS has greatly changed. This anniversary offers us an opportunity to highlight how much more still needs to be done.

According to UNAIDS estimates , the number of people living with HIV infection by the end of 2007 was 33.2 million globally, including 2.3 million children under the age of 15 years. In the year 2007, 2.5 million people were newly infected and 2.1 million people died of AIDS.

Despite efforts to hold leaders accountable, progress in halting HIV is still falling far short of targets. The estimated number of HIV-infected people in need of antiretroviral (ART) therapy by the end of 2007 was 9.7 million. The estimated number of people receiving (ART) by the end of 2007 was 3 million, equivalent to a 31% coverage of the estimated number of people in need of ART. All our efforts are simply not delivering at the speed and scale required. Many political promises, including those made at
the UNGA Special Session on AIDS in 2001, are not being kept. A lack of leadership at all levels is the main reason these promises are not being kept.

We all know that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has progressed to a large scale in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) and it is now clear that it is spreading faster than our efforts in prevention. It is estimated that by the end of 2007 approximately 530,000 people were living with HIV in the EMR. An estimated 55,000 new infections occurred in 2007. The majority of HIV infections in this region are due to heterosexual transmission. However intravenous drug use, using needles to inject drugs, is the second most
common mode of transmission and is gaining more importance every year. An estimated 33,000 deaths occurred due to AIDS in 2007 in the EMR. Most reported HIV infections have been in men, but the proportion of women becoming infected is increasing. It is estimated that 150,000 people in EMR are in need of antiretroviral therapy, but only 7,129 were receiving it at the end of 2007, which is equivalent to around a 5% coverage of the estimated number of people in need of ART.

HIV testing has been available in Kuwait since 1984. Screening high-risk groups for HIV has been a continuous process and is under constant surveillance. In Kuwait till end of October 2008, a total of 451,379 individuals were screened for HIV, among whom 84 new HIV-positive cases were found. Out of these 84 cases, 75 cases were newcomers to Kuwait whose residency was not stamped and who have already left Kuwait to return to their respective countries. Regarding antiretroviral drugs, Kuwait is one of the co
untries in GCC States which provides all the genuine drugs (100%) for treatment of HIV/AIDS patients free of charge. All the latest genuine drugs used in United States and Europe are available for the treatment of AIDS patients in Kuwait. Testing of all blood and blood products has been introduced since 1984. There is 100% testing of all blood and blood products prior to transfusion in Kuwait and the country has not imported any blood or blood products since 1976.

To end the pandemic means keeping our promise and commitments in the fight against HIV and AIDS. That is why the World AIDS Campaign has chosen as its theme from 2005 - 2010: "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise." After two decades of AIDS, we know that with sufficient will and resources we can turn this epidemic around. In June 2001, heads of state and government representatives gathered for the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS).

This was the first time a meeting such as this one recognized that AIDS was a global crisis requiring global action. Since the adoption by 189 countries of the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, a new commitment for universal access of antiretroviral treatment by 2010 was agreed by G8 nations in July 2005.

Kuwait fully recognizes the significance of the World AIDS day theme. AIDS prevention merits high on priorities given by National AIDS Control Committee and extensive efforts have been underway to banish ignorance and reach the public through mass media in spreading knowledge about AIDS prevention, and the ways to avoid risk. Messages are being broadcast to advance people's understanding and awareness of AIDS, encouraging them to exercise caution and care.

Keeping in mind that this problem belongs to all of us, we need to join hands in committing ourselves to do all we can to protect ourselves and our families and to stop the spread of this disease. Through this campaign I want to stress the responsibility of both men and women. We have to recognize that women are very often the force that binds families and community groups, and hence they are a source of great strength in the face of HIV and AIDS. Consequently, empowering women to protect themselves from A
IDS and its consequences is actually a way of protecting children, men and whole communities against the epidemic. Kuwait is also pursuing the adoption of pre-marital HIV testing and ante-natal HIV screening among pregnant women, which can be helpful in the prevention and control of infection.

Leaders! Keep The Promise - Stop AIDS" is an appeal to government and policy makers to ensure that they meet the targets they have agreed to in the fight against HIV and AIDS. We all need to share the responsibility. We have to know our roles and practice them. Family members, community leaders, teachers, workers, religious leaders, professionals, students, health workers, government and private health sectors and last but not least the people living with HIV/AIDS themselves should join hands and they all
have a role to play in defeating this deadly disease. Only then can we reach our goals. To achieve this goal, leadership and action is needed now. Governments must deliver on the promises they have made. Communities must encourage leadership of its members. Individuals must feel empowered to access treatment, to know their rights and take action against stigmatization and discrimination, and to know and use methods of prevention against receiving and transmitting HIV.

In choosing the regional slogan "Women Take The Lead," we are focusing this year on the role of women's leaders in the fight against AIDS. The contribution of women's leaders has been considerable. For decades women in general and female leaders in particulars, have worked to prepare the ground for actions to benefit people affected by HIV/AIDS. Alongside men, women have undertaken innovative and effective actions in the fight against AIDS to stop the progression of the epidemic. Women's leaders have set a
n example for others to follow in the prevention of AIDS and can also be leaders in their communities to fight HIV and address women's issues in particular. We need more such women's leaders to advocate on behalf of women who are more vulnerable to HIV and its negative impact than men. All our efforts today are an investment for our future in defeating this deadly disease that has taken millions of lives around the world.