Midwifery Principal Officer, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, I.R.Iran
Introduction
The Islamic Republic of Iran is the seventeenth largest country in the world and located in South- West Asia in the middle east region and spanning an area of over 1,648,000 square Kilometers.
Iran divided into 28 provinces, Which are further broken down into smaller administrative area (District) and it's capital is Tehran.
According to Latest census, which was conducted in 1996, Iran's population is 60,055,488 of which 29,540,329 are female and 30,515,159 are male. 61% of population are settled in urban areas and 39% live in rural communities.
99.6% of population are Moslem, 0.2% are Christian, 0.07% Zoroastrians and 0.05% Jews.
The official language and script is Persian. Literacy Rate have shown much improvement and in the recent year is about 80%.
Overview on AIDS in Asia
Some experts are predicting that in the next decade the spread of AIDS in Asia will surpass the 22.5 million cases in sub-Saharan Africa and become the largest infected area of the world. UNAIDS estimates that 5 to 7 million people are now living with HIV in Asia and the Pacific. Asia with 60% of the world's population could fast become the region with the most HIV infections.
Asian countries are now seeing the virus rapidly become an epidemic among the general population.
About 42% of the 30 million people with HIV/AIDS in the world are women. Some contributing factors to this high rate among women in general are poverty, lower social status, and illiteracy.
Background of HIV/AIDS in Iran
The first HIV positive was identified in 1987 in Iran. As of 1 January 2001 the official figure for people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran was 2271, of which 2167 were male and 104 female. Of this total 1455(64%) were injecting drug users, and 309 had AIDS.
About 1,200,000 people are annually tested for HIV in Iran and the addicted, those affected to venereal diseases and people who frequently travel aboard are among those who are tested.
The National AIDS Committee was set up in 1995. A concerted effort has been made by the Ministry of health to educate, in main, the medical community, and all donated blood is tested for the virus. Awareness surveys carried out amongst the general public have indicated a poor understanding of the disease and its impact. The dissemination of public information leaflets and private counseling have been carried out to some extent.
The medicines to treat patients whose help them live longer are given to them free of charge and prison officials are provided with medicines to help the inmates affected by virus.
It is feared that the situation regarding HIV/AIDS in Iran may be more serious than generally realized. The main concern of the government is the potential spread of infection from injecting drug users to the general population. The strategic geographic situation of Iran and its long common borders with the countries of the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan and Pakistan), which produce a substantial proportion of the world's heroin, have confronted Iran with the problems of drug trafficking and concomitant drug addiction within the country.
Drug addicts affecting not only the drug users, but also their families, especially women and children.
According to the latest observations, many drug-using men return home from prison with HIV/AIDS and the wives of such men are at very high risk of contracting HIV.
Women and HIV/AIDS
Fortunately, Iran is one of the safest countries in the world in regard to scourge of AIDS. Religious belief and deep-rooted traditions have been the strongest safeguards against the spread of AIDS in Iran.
Strict measures and screening of donated blood products by Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization, as well as training, the institution of precautionary measures can be cited as other factors which have prevented the spread of AIDS in Iran.
From 1987 until 1 of Jan 2001, 2271 HIV/AIDS cases were identified in 8,547,996 persons tested for virus. Of the total HIV positive cases, 104 (5%) were women that about 46% are married. More than 70% of married women were infected by their husbands. The most percent of transmission mode in women are sexual and in men are drug use.
In 1989, the first HIV positive woman was identified in Iran and the first AIDS-related female death was recorded in 1990. From 309 all AIDS cases 274 have died of which 91% are male and 9% are female.
HIV-prevalent, among pregnant women is not detected in Iran as a policy, in all centers, because the prevalence of the disease is not so high.
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in women is less than 0.0004.
All of the data are shown in the charts.
National Program Update
The Government of Iran is starting an initiative telephone counseling and national distribution of 10,000,000 brochures on HIV and is also considering IEC interventions in public spaces. This is the first time that such a massive response to the epidemic is planned in country.
There are more than 154 sites for voluntary testing & counseling, and more than 600 sites only for voluntary counseling.
WHO provides technical support assisting the Ministry of Health and Medical Education with its national program to control HIV/AIDS. This also includes control of sexually transmitted infections. Some of the activities under taken are:
- preventing HIV transmission through blood safety;
- Gender-sensitive health promotion and education for individuals and families including high risk groups;
- Conducting training workshops on control and prevention of HIV/AIDS; and
- Developing local capacities and expertise on HIV studies, focusing on sexual behavior and awareness building among public and professional health workers.
Within the framework of a UNFPA joint project with Ministry of Education, 700,000 copies of a poster was produced on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. The poster was distributed nationwide. 200,000 copies of an accompanying brochure was also printed and distributed to 3rd and 4th grade teachers as well as to lower and upper secondary schools.
Conclusion
The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the signatories and participating countries in the UNDP-supported sub regional HIV and Development Project. As an Awareness raising campaign, the regional initiative focuses on three interrelated components:
HIV and gender, HIV and livelihoods, and HIV and governance .
The Islamic Republic of Iran plans to take the lead in activities related to intravenous drug use under the HIV and livelihoods components by targeting male drug users. Their wives and families, as high risk groups, are also benefiting from the activities of this regional project.
References
1. WHO. Men and AIDS, Background document. Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean. 2000.
2. UNDP. Country information – Iran. Available on http:/aids south Asia.undp.org
3. HIV/AIDS in Iran. Health Deputy of Ministry of Health. Iran. Jan 2001.
4. UN Agencies. Women on the move. The UN Inter-Agency Gender and Development Group. October 2000.
5. National report on women. Women’s bureau of presidential office. I. R. Iran. March 1997.
