The HIV virus is one of the gravest threats to the health of people in Yemen, say health experts. In the early 1990's, AIDS
cases were limited. Of course, it's harder to track illegal immigrants. George Ionita, advisor on HIV/AIDS for the UNICEF Middle East and North Africa region says that with 0.7 percent of its population infected with HIV, Yemen has the third highest HIV rate in the region, after Sudan and Djibouti. Government data indicates by the end of 2000, only 960 HIV positive cases had been reported. But by 2004, that number had reached 1,600, said the National AIDS Program surveillance report.. This year alone, 121 cases have been confirmed. Overall AIDS infections in Yemen reached 1,821 cases by the end of 2005, 55 percent of which were Yemenis. The NAP, however, believes that as many as 12,000 people could be infected countrywide, with ignorance and a fear of social repercussions keeping many people from getting tested. The NAP's Abdul Hamid al-Suhaibi noted that before 2000, there were more cases among foreigners than among Yemenis, but said, "Now, Yemeni cases have increased." There are no official statistics on how many people in Yemen have died from AIDS-related causes. The causes of the spread of AIDS in Yemen are multifold. The country is particularly vulnerable to an HIV/AIDS epidemic because of its significant numbers of immigrants from AIDS-riddled countries; the lack of education on how to prevent the spread of the virus; inadequate methods of tracking the disease; a large youth population; skyrocketing unemployment; widespread stigma associated with the disease; cultural and social barriers to discussing the causes of AIDS; and insufficient access to information. HIV/AIDS is spread through the exchange of bodily fluids. This means that a person can become infected by having unprotected sex with someone who is infected, or by sharing a needle with an infected person. These associations with sex and drug use are what give the disease such a stigma in this conservative culture. But AIDS can also be spread through blood transfusions, accidental needle pricks, or from an infected mother to her baby. Doctors and anyone else who regularly works around needles must be especially cautious. Condoms, if used properly, can prevent the spread of the virus through sex. People living with HIV/AIDS in Yemen are often publicly disgraced, although perceptions associated with the virus are slowly being challenged. The government's National AIDS Program, for example, has begun awareness programs aimed at educating the Yemeni population about the effects and origins of the disease."Due to cultural restraints, locals are not ready to tell others that they are infected with the AIDS virus. They believe that it will bring shame to their families and loved ones," said Nabil al-Sabahi, a resident of Sana'a who claims that one of his closest friends carries the HIV virus. "The only people who know about his infection are his close family members. They prefer to live a quiet and peaceful life, rather than face the questioning that will go on if the news spreads." The government's efforts to stop the spread of the phenomenon have so far been insufficient. Minister of Public Health and Population, Abdul-Karim Rasee, has said there is a political commitment to fight AIDS and stop its spread. The Fighting AIDS Program has made some improvements in fighting AIDS from 2002-2006, and many centers for fighting AIDS have been established, said Rasee. Nevertheless, since the start of the AIDS program in 2002, the number of AID victims has more than doubled. Representatives of the UN Program for Fighting AIDS, Eris Semni, said that Yemen could avoid the impact of AIDS, if it takes action to educate its public and take other preventative measures, but that Yemen's capacities to do that are still limited. Last month at Al-Eman University, the director Abdul-Majid al-Zindani gave a speech praising the quality of scientific and medical rcarried out at the university, claiming that they have treated many cases of AIDS.In 20 AIDS cases, al-Zandani said the virus had vanished completely without any side effects. He called on the UN, which "spends enormous amounts of money to fight the disease," to send "its senior scientists to review
findings." These claims are bound to be greeted with enormous skepticism, given how much research has gone into this illness. If al-Zandani can prove his claims, then this would certainly be of global interest. But his research has not yet been verified by other scientists. Regionally, two years ago, the number of people newly infected with HIV was about 62,000. In 2005, 67,000 people became infected in the region, with 58,000 deaths occurring due to AIDS. The total number of persons living with HIV is 510,000 for 2005, according to UNAIDS statistics. World Bank report, Preventing HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa, lays out a strategy for the governments in the region to step up prevention efforts and utilize WB and other international expertise to put these plans in place. The government is continuing its efforts to expand HIV/ AIDS awareness campaigns to governorates around the country. Currently campaigns have been held in main cities only. Aden, Hodeidah and Mukalla, are considered to be at high risk for the spread of this disease because they are looked upon as hubs for migrant populations coming from the Horn of Africa, where HIV/AIDS rates are among the highest .