JEDDAH, 10 August 2006 — The number of Saudis that tested HIV positive is on the increase year after year, causing concern among authorities about the growing cases of AIDS in the country.
Of the 10,120 people that have tested HIV positive in the Kingdom since the first case was identified in 1984, 2,316 were Saudis, according to figures released by the Health Ministry. This figure is up from 7,804 in 2005, according to Dr. Tarek Madani, adviser to the health minister and consultant for contagious diseases.
“Last year alone, 1,201 cases were found, among them 311 were Saudis and the rest foreigners,” Dr. Madani told Al-Eqtisadiah, a sister publication of Arab News. “There are 84 children who tested HIV positive in various parts of the country,” he added.
The Health Ministry adviser said the number of new reported AIDS victims (not counting foreign residents) could reach an additional 360 by the end of this year. The health official based his estimate on the growth rate of AIDS cases in the country in the past years.
Dr. Madani expected further increase in new cases of AIDS among Saudis during the next five years, saying the number would remain stable in later years.
The largest number of AIDS cases was reported in Jeddah, which plays host to a large number of expatriates from different parts of the world. Studies have proved that extramarital sex relations were the main reason for the spread of the disease.
Dr. Madani spoke about the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS in the country. Expatriate workers undergo health tests before their recruitment. After their arrival in the Kingdom they undergo further tests before the issuance of a resident permit or iqama. Riyadh has also banned import of blood and launched awareness campaigns about AIDS.
Like in other parts of the world, persons who voluntarily submit to treatment are treated with respect to their privacy. However, persons caught in police dragnets must in some cases succumb to involuntary AIDS testing. The authorities do have the power to force people with HIV to enter programs aimed at teaching them how to prevent spreading the virus to other people.
Thirty-year-old widow Umm Ali got the virus through her husband. Unlike before, she has now started facing people with high spirits and courage. “My dream now is to see my daughter married. I am back to living a normal life after I began to get back in touch with people,” she said in comments published by Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
Saudi citizens with AIDS have long had the right to free medical care. The government spends more than SR15 million in medicine to treat AIDS patients. Foreign HIV carriers are deported after providing them with some care in the initial stage. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh holds regular public discussions on AIDS and how to live with it.
The government has established specialized medical centers to treat AIDS at a cost of SR24 million. Dr. Madani estimated the annual cost of treating an AIDS patient at SR120,000 as a packet of a single medication costs SR5,000. The cost of AIDS tests ranges between SR2,000 and SR3,000.
