Misconceptions about HIV/AIDS prevail
There are a lot of misconceptions about HIV and AIDS in Belize, and today the Ministry of Health, PAHO, and the National AIDS Commission attempted to set the record straight, particularly in terms of numbers. They presented a situational analysis to be used in the development of a new strategic plan. Jacqueline Woods reports from the Radisson.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
HIV/AIDS is among the ten leading causes of death in Belize. The startling statistics were announced at a presentation of the situation in the country, by Epidemiologist and Director of the National AIDS Programme, Doctor Paul Edwards.
Dr. Paul Edwards, Director, National AIDS Programme
“The statistics reported from the ending of 1986 until the end of September 2003 reports that there are a little bit more than two thousand, five hundred Belizeans living with HIV or AIDS. When we talk about the ratio, male to female at the start of the epidemic it was two males for every female. As we have said, there is a feminisation of the epidemic, there are more females being infected, and therefore those numbers are fastly approaching one male to every female.”
Those who are mostly affected are the productive and reproductive sectors, persons between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine years old.
Dr. Paul Edwards
“Fifteen through forty-nine for males represents that reproductive age group, that individual that male out there who is working, who is contributing to his household, and also contributing to the economic stability of this country. What happens when he falls ill, especially in environments whereby he is the sole breadwinner? And for females, they are also a part of that working force. And even more so important, they are in the reproductive age group. If they are HIV positive there is a possibility that their newborn can also be HIV positive and therefore the problem becomes even more complicated whereby we have orphans, whereby both of those parents would die, and even more so, orphans who are HIV Positive.”
Every twenty-four hours, a person living in Belize is diagnosed with HIV. Most of those patients contracted the virus through sexual activity. Another factor contributing to the epidemic is the abuse of alcohol, crack and cocaine that all lead to risky behaviour.
According to Adele Catzim, an independent consultant with the Pan American Health Organization in Belize, the study also revealed that many women contracted the disease at home because of the myths and personal perceptions that still exist.
Adele Catzim, Independent Consultant, PAHO
“There’s a woman who has got it and who cried for two hours, she just could not believe it. She is a good woman, she’s never had an extramarital affair, and she is HIV positive. There’s is another woman in the south of Belize who is convinced that her husband got it from a mosquito and that’s how he passed it on to her. There’s another woman whose husband told her that he has been cured by a herbalist and she wants to know, she’s HIV negative, but she wants to know if she can go back to her husband now because he’s been cured by the herbalist.”
The situation analysis report will be used to help Belize access the World Health organizations 3 by 5 initiative that will allow three million living with the disease in developing countries to access anti-retroviral medication by 2005.
Dr. Kathleen Israel, PAHO/WHO Representative, Belize
“Belize is already on the list of countries targeted for the 3 by 5 initiative. As a matter of fact, all developing countries are. At the local level, what we need to do make an assessment of the number of people who are HIV positive and who actually have the disease AIDS. And with that assessment we will communicate to the PAHO regional office in Washington and they will get the Geneva office involved. Now once that is done, an assessment will be made of the needs of Belize for anti-retroviral therapy and resources are being made available from different funding agencies through PAHO and WHO that is going to trickle down to Belize.”
Dr. Edwards says he is very concerned about the situation, but believes it will take heightened responsibility from every Belizean for the number of infected persons to decrease.
Dr. Paul Edwards
“Individual responsibility. Change your behaviour, for those numbers to start decreasing in our country. We need for people to go and get their HIV status known. Know your status, if your HIV negative to put mechanisms in your life to remain HIV negative. For those who are positive, to access the care and counselling that is there, to learn about your nutritional status, to learn about your CD4 level, to learn about what are the medications we are using, what are the side effects, so that when you get to that stage of being full-blown AIDS you are prepared and you will adhere to taking that medication to prevent resistance and the overall will be there whereby you can increase your quality and your quantity of life. That is what we are offering, we’re inviting every Belizean to get your status known.”
For persons interested in knowing their status, a voluntary testing and counselling centre is located at the Cleopatra White Health Centre. At the centre you can also find out how you can access free anti-retroviral drugs. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
