AIDS patients in Sudan face stigma

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people living with HIV / AIDS in Sudan has reached 51,000, including about 3,000 children (under the age of 14) and 22,000 women (15). years and older). 4,700 newly infected people died of the virus.

In a previous interview with "New Arab", director of partnerships for communicable disease management at the Federal Ministry of Health, Siham Jaber, the majority of Sudanese refuse to submit to voluntary HIV testing, but fear stigma , despite the spread of dozens of voluntary testing centers in all states The 655 centers in Sudan, including 357 for pregnant women.

"The number of people currently receiving treatment has reached 8,000," said Mujtaba Hassan Fadl, head of the unit of the most vulnerable groups of the Federal Ministry of Health, adding that the rate of The infection has not increased significantly since 2013 compared to previous years, citing efforts by the government and international organizations to curb the spread of the virus. He points out that one of the most important challenges in the fight against AIDS in Sudan is the scarcity of research and studies and the decline in international support granted to the country by a third party in recent years . It shows that Sudan has received $ 30 million in financial assistance, before falling to $ 15 million in the last three years. He stressed that the Sudanese government is committed to training and rehabilitating staff working in the field of AIDS, in addition to overseeing awareness campaigns.

Fadel talks about the social stigma faced by the AIDS patient, stressing that it is a big challenge, and that health authorities have been trying to combat it by raising awareness first the health staff. He stressed that tests and treatments are provided free for all patients, noting that AIDS patients were not affected by the wave of high drug prices in the country due to the current economic crisis and that all services were provided free of charge.

Asaad al-Khair Abdullah of the Western Kordofan AIDS Prevention Unit acknowledges that it is difficult to combat the social stigma faced by AIDS patients in Sudan and expose them to discrimination. . He thinks it is possible to remedy more awareness programs, adding that the government's anti-virus strategy is entirely adequate and lacks nothing. But emphasizes the need to pay attention to social aspects.

For its part, the human rights activist believes that human health is essential for economic growth and contributes to the fight against poverty and social justice, so that everyone plays a role in the sphere of human rights. production. He stressed that health care is the right of everyone in accordance with the Constitution and international treaties. She added that "AIDS patients in Sudan do not enjoy all their rights, including access to reliable information and adequate awareness, especially as many of them are poor. , overworked and inadequately treated in health centers, apart from poor services ". Some do not receive the appropriate psychological advice to the extent that he is in a state of denial of his injury and does not even say the closest to him, which contributes to the transmission of the infection.

Social scientist Thoraya Ibrahim emphasized the need to work by all means to integrate AIDS patients into society and to rehabilitate them psychologically and socially to live normally and overcome trauma. She says that excessive caution in treating a patient with AIDS starts in the community doctors up to the patient's own family, which can sometimes lead to isolation. "Physicians have the right to take all the precautionary measures necessary to avoid any infection, taking into account the patient's mental state."
And emphasizes the importance of raising public awareness of how the virus is transmitted, so as not to avoid sick people.

Patients and their families are also required to report HIV infection. She explained to the "New Arab" that, through her work, I had noticed the spread of divorce when one of the partners had discovered that the other was infected with AIDS, believing that the injury was caused by sexual intercourse, there were other reasons for the transmission of the virus. And indicates that parties in the present case need psychological support focusing on the interests of children and children. And that the need to take care of the homeless on roads vulnerable to the virus and, consequently, to test, treat and rehabilitate the mentally ill.