| Sajha.com Archives | |
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| gal1 | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 01:54 AM
Over 60,000 Infected With HIV in Nepal: Study Shows The number of people infected with HIV in Nepal will exceed 60,000 by the end of 2002, according to a study conducted by the Nepal AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Research Center. AIDS cases in Nepal are estimated to reach 3,000, the Himalayan Times quoted Gopal Raj Shakya, president of the research center, as saying. "Some positive outcomes have been observed as a result of campaigns by various governmental and non-governmental organizations on checking the spread of the dreaded disease," Shakya said. Nepal's National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control in July launched massive advocacy and awareness programs throughout the country in an attempt to control HIV/AIDS. Last year, the World Health Organization said around 40,000 people in Nepal had HIV/AIDS From my health care experience, still lots of people are hiding or ignoring the disease because - Reporting system in Nepal are - voluntary reporting - consent for testing necessary - private health care centres and hospitals - stigmatization, difficult to force people for testing - human rights SAFE SEX Male - use of condom - many showed male use condom: reduce their sensation - situation factors, underestimate the risk of contracting STD - trend change from homo to heterosexual - perceived risk associated with educational level - peer group experience sharing in perceived risk Female - commercial sex worker do not have power to request clients using condom - cultural & social factors - education to women - not assertive enough - risk perception of unprotective sex - female condom, difficult in using - in rural , women have low risk perception, less accessibility to condom - ignoring the advertisement of condom Hope health department of our country will agree with the INTERVENTION 1 Increase risk perception - arouse public awareness IV drug user with not sharing needle have more knowledge on risk - knowledge not equal to risk perception - risk perception is not sufficient to change behavior - traditional approach: knowledge---risk perception----change in behaviour success. 2.Change behavior -self efficacy, social skill, assertiveness training 3.Target at traveler and commercial sex worker (high risk group) - commercial workers always replaced by new comer - ??encouraging illegal business - promoting known status of of HIV: Know your status campaign- (lower stigmatization aswellas connect positive cases to treatment) - government => free condom, cheap/reasonable cost of treatment - legalization of prostitutes - implementation of feasible plan of condom distribution 4.Education to use condom - -eliminate hesitation in buying 5.Influencing health risk behavior (part of health promotion) effective approaches based on: perceived consequences plus my belief of what others expect leads to development of attitude which predicts behavior 1.Is it serous? 2.Will I get it? 3.Can I avoid it? Health promotion applied to HIV/AIDS and STD 1 . Preventive health education -Education regarding use of condom, abstinence -risk perception/influencing knowledge -Counselling of infected persons 2. Preventive health protection -Infection control procedures: Screening, contact tracing -Disease prevention (condom use, vaccination, STD treatment). 3.health education aimed at positive health protection -reduction of stigmatization ---protection of potential contacts/contact 4.Health education for preventive health protection |
| gal1 | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 02:09 AM
Correction - hrzardous= hazardous |
| czar | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 09:23 AM
Gal1, I applaud your initiative to educate others on an issue of AIDS. I salute your civic sense. I had posted another thread on this, but the lone comment there was that stats were boring. Fair enough. However, I am posting some of the highlights of "The State of World Population" report here. Please allow me to provide some numbers that were thought provoking for me. - The report shows that nearly half of the world's population is under the age of 25. Of these, 87% live in developing countries. - "Aids has become a disease of young people, fuelled by poverty, gender inequality and a severe lack of information and services," - The report shows that two out of three young people with HIV are female. In Asia, the figure is 62%.. Thats nearly 2 out of 3 people with AIDS is a female. [This will have a stunning social impact and its implications has the power to alter socieites.] - More than 13 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to Aids. - The report suggests that poverty, illiteracy and poor services are combining to help spread HIV among young people. - Recent research in Kenya and Zambia has found married girls are more likely to be HIV positive than their unmarried counterparts. The news item can be accessed at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3170908.stm The African experience with AIDS is well documented. Take for example South Africa. Thats a region where a large percentage of the world's supply of gold, diamonds and other precious stones are mined. The industrial and social consequences of AIDS on those countries directly impacts trade, industry and other issues. In the past few years, some of the largest mining operators in South Africa have found it necessary to hire FIVE workers for every THREE actually needed. Lowered productivity and shortened lives of AIDS stricken workers required this shift in policy. They have even started to provide free medications for workers. Girl trafficking in Nepal and the increasing trend of migrant workers is shaping up to an explosion of AIDS that is going to overwhelm our already shaky health services. Nearly 100,000 workers a year are streaming out of Nepal to work overseas, not counting those that are displaced by the present war and/or heading to India in search of work. The majority are younger people. It is very likely quite a number will engage in unprotected sex with commercial sex workers. Further, the large expatriate community in the middle east is reputedly fairly sexually active. Chances are some will contract AIDS. The same realities apply to Nepali workers in south east asia and the far east. Several thousand soldiers and policmen have participated in peacekeeping operations in countries where a convergence of war and subsequent poverty created situations ripe for sexual exploitation. Chances are good that some of those peace keepers contracted the deadly disease. Then came home and infect their wives/girl friends. In short, ten years hence I expect to see a public health catastrophe attack those that are still left standing then, provided the civil war in Nepal has ended by then. Lord Pashupatinath is going to have his hands full trying to save us. |
| SimpleGal | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 10:42 AM
Gal1-- Thanks so very much for your valuable posting. Much of the info. you have presented has escaped the notice of common Nepalis and is precious resource to have. |
| kahatimro | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 06:53 PM
I know not many people have concern regarding the epidemic...not unless one is directly involved or someone beloved is. for more information please check out some very dynamic HIV related websites like http://www.aidsmeds.com http://www.thebody.com Dr. Bob is a great guy he is a physician with HIV and he is the biggest contributer to HIV in AFRICA http://www.thebody.com/FORUMS/AIDS/Experts/Bio/rfrascino/rfrascino.html When millions people are living with the epidemic we need to feel that we ARE ALL living with the epidemic and it is not just people who have it.. Thanks for the great topic. |
| kahatimro | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 07:03 PM
In nepal HIV is considered to be a HOOKER, IVY drug user disease. I have even read about nepali politicians blaming women sex workers regarding this and which I think is a bullshit. But, now people need to reliaze that with their kids having unprotected SEX it is an epidemic that runs into anybody's family.. HIV was considered and still considered to be a GAY disease. Actaully a disease that only MEN having sex with MEN catch. But it no longer seems to be that case.. It is a disease that doesnot discriminate...anyone can catch it.. WHEN HIV is a controllabe disease in countries like US NEPAL DOESNOT EVEN have a CDC COUNT MACHINE to monitor viral load in HIV PATIENTS. THAT IS ridiculuos..there is now onle machine but is not in use because it is too expensive..so patients still go to india for measuring their VIRAL LOAD. |
| kahatimro | Posted
on 09-Oct-03 07:04 PM
aidsmed.com is a site run by HIV positive people from NY City and thebody.com is run by doctors who have been fighting the epidemic for years...no treatment seems to be possible atleat 10 years.. |