Longer comments will be shown in part in this pop-up window and are available fully at the permalink of this entry. Please Read our comment policy for a complete list of rules!

Comments on ‘Iran versus HIV’
Somayeh Sadat at November 21, 2003 08:06 AM:
I want to add a point. Unfortunately, the addiction policies in Iran have not been wise. The addicts for years have been identified as criminals, instead of victims, and put in jail. While this was supposed to deter people from getting into addiction, which a more realistic view could show that it's not usually a choice made by people, the policy had the counter effect of addicts running away from the government officials and not seek rehabilitation. It also had the counter effect of getting the other family members of the addicts into smuggling and addiction, since the family lost its bread winner when they were put in jail. Therefore the other family members had to get into smuggling and later on addiction, to earn money. So, during years, the number of addicts just increased. And these addicts, though I guess they are not now legally considered as criminals,... [more at the permalink of the entry above]
yahya at November 21, 2003 07:29 PM:
South Africa has changed its stance against AIDS. This was announced two days ago.
Elnaz at November 21, 2003 08:00 PM:
It was about time. That's great. Also among developing countries Brazil's stance against AIDS is very mature and interesting.see this for an example
hazhir at November 22, 2003 07:32 PM:
Government in Iran has kept a low profile in addressing AIDS in public. Nevertheless, there has been some interesting initiatives, specially through grass-root initiatives by Doctors, which are encouraging. These include preparing material for sex education (even though the call for public dissemination is not yet met), giving free, clean needle to drug addicts in prisons and recently in towns, and calling on doctors not to reject AIDS patients. So far AIDS in Iran has been mainly passed through needle sharing (~65% of cases) rather than sex (~15% of cases). Note that apart from serious addiction problem, biologically AIDS is much better transmitted through niddle sharing, than through unsafe sex (the risk per occurance of unsafe behavior is about 100 times different) Nevertheless, considering the increasing prostitution challenge, and the correlation of prostitution and addiction, the risk profile can be shifting.
at November 24, 2003 08:16 AM:
Somewhere ,may be in one of the official US sites, I read that the percentage of HIV infected people in US is 6% and in Italy 4% in Jamaica [?] 26%. The coressponding statistic for Iran was below 0.1 percent. Having read these datas I am wondering if HIV causes a big problem now or not. how much big is the rate of HIV-spread in Iran? Anyone could provid some statistic?
Senior Grad at November 24, 2003 09:57 AM:
Could you at least provide a pseudonym when you write a comment? I just grow more frustrated than Iranian mullahs (who miserably failed in bringing up a generation of mosque-going, prayer-fast-etc. observing, not to mention khums-giving Iranians) when I read a comment by a nameless individual. Thanks.
hazhir at November 24, 2003 08:07 PM:
The nameless commentators estimate is the same as that of CIA's factbook: [LINK] You can see the ranking of different countries on AIDS prevelance there as well.