Two thousand new AIDS cases in Morocco in 2007
2007-11-27
The annual UNAIDS report has revealed an increase in Morocco's rate of HIV infection. To combat public attitudes surrounding the virus, health organisations plan a World AIDS Day march in Casablanca.
By Imrane Binoual for Magharebia in Casablanca – 27/11/07
 [File] Hakima Himmich said AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases are "a real danger to be feared". |
The annual report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), released ahead of World AIDS Day on Saturday (December 1st), said that while HIV infection has stabilised worldwide, AIDS "remains the top cause of death in Africa." According to UN statistics disclosed in the November 20th report, the number of people in Morocco carrying the virus rose from 18,000 in 2006 to 20,000 this year.
Morocco must confront the silence and stigma surrounding AIDS, argued Ahmed Douraidi, a human rights activist and national co-ordinator for one of the country’s main AIDS control NGOs, the Association to Fight AIDS. To further this awareness campaign, ALCS will help sponsor the "March to Fight AIDS" in Casablanca on World AIDS Day. "This is the first event that [the ALCS] is organising with partner associations with whom we have just set up a network of associations to fight AIDS," Douraidi told Magharebia.
The Morocco AIDS-Enterprise association works to connect AIDS-control NGOs with Moroccan business leaders. Chairman Brahim Sahib stressed the importance of setting up this network and confirmed that his association would be playing an active role in the December march. "AIDS is becoming a serious threat; we must fight it with all means available," he said.
"Getting business leaders on board is really important in raising awareness about the damage caused by HIV and in the success of any such programmes."
These kinds of initiatives to counter HIV are partly responsible for reduced infection rates worldwide, the UNAIDS report notes. However, ALCS president Professor Hakima Himmich feels that focusing on such figures "could actually be a disincentive in our work to combat this killer disease."
One of the most important routes for transmission of the virus is through sexual activity and this, according to Himich, is where the alarm needs to be raised in Morocco.
"[With] a very high number of sexually transmitted infections, around 350,000 new cases in Morocco, there is a real danger to be feared," Himmich said.
"On top of this, 40% of people with AIDS are women, and 2.4% are working in the sex industry," she noted. "This puts us on a similar footing to Sub-Saharan countries affected by AIDS, such as Senegal."
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Med Benjelloun Posted 2007-11-28
The Moroccan Ministry of health should allocate more resources to assist the private sector end the NGO's to increase the efforts in the prevention of STD's through a larger IEC programs focued on and outreaching selected target groups in an open language understandible by all.
limati hajar Posted 2007-11-28
Why is AIDS a sexually transmitted disease?
simo Posted 2007-11-28
International AIDS Awareness Day Children and Women, HIV and AIDS. Are you finally going to listen to us? On January 12, 2004, OPALS-Morocco began a two-week intensive campaign more than 20 years after the first appearance of AIDS. The same question has unfortunately always come up: how do we limit the spread of this epidemic? This question continues to go unanswered today except by the individual voluntary action of every one of us. Every December 1 is the International AIDS Awareness Day. It reminds us of the reality of the epidemic. Today, once every two hours someone in the world contracts the virus. This is the finding of the National Agency on AIDS Research. In Morocco, France and everywhere else in the world, there are new contractions of the virus, principally affecting heterosexuals and women. It is from this fact that the idea of developing the theme of “children and women” came. Thus, this year's theme is for International AIDS Awareness Day is “For Children and Women, for HIV and AIDS” and the slogan is “Are you finally going to listen to us?” Today, 38 million people are infected with HIV-AIDS, of them, 18 million are women. Now facing the new upsurge in this epidemic, a new perspective is necessary. The prejudices and the clichés are losing and it is more than urgent that we understand and admit that AIDS affects all of us, regardless of sexuality, race, lifestyle, social standing or age. On one hand, women are more vulnerable to this infection, but on the other, they are more conscious of the necessity of preventing it and of getting information. The idea to develop the question this year of “children and women” can be explained by several reas
HAMIDO Posted 2007-11-30
I would like to have some good statistics on all of Morocco with some numbers so that everyone can finally understand the giant impact of this epidemic on the entirety of the Moroccan population.
ايد عبد الله Posted 2007-11-30
There should be an awareness-raising campaign about this disease in children's programmes.
kouki Posted 2007-12-02
Hi, How many organisation are there in Morocco working against HIV/AIDS? Where aren’t there centres specialised in this organised in every hospitals? -Thank you
هاجر Posted 2007-12-07
AIDS is transmitted quickly so we have to take the necessary precautions.
جمال Posted 2007-12-09
Prevention is better than treatment. If we return to religion, we will find that it has forbidden adultry which is the main cause of the disease.
ورديتا Posted 2007-12-16
A very good topic but not very deep and didn't enter well into details.
البروفيسور الطالبي Posted 2007-12-29
My comment is the following, AIDS and other diseases are serious. It's better if we stand in their face together. Mourad Talbi from Tangier, high school of Aouama.
نجوى Posted 2007-12-30
Hi. Honestly the AIDS crisis is worth discussing. Awareness of its threat must be spread especially with its alarmingly rising rate in our beloved country. It would be desirable to launch such campaigns during all occasions and not only on World Aids Day and in villages in particular.. thanks
Anonymous Posted 2007-12-31
Very bad.
zohir harnafi Posted 2008-01-03
I would like an update on the statistics for AIDS in Morocco from 2007 to 2008.
lamiae alami Posted 2008-01-06
Thank you for publishing this information on the Internet. I am a smart, female student, interested in this subject. I am preparing my dissertation on STDs in the pregnant-women population. I will need more of your advice and information. Thank you in advance
hanan allal Posted 2008-01-08
Thank you for the information published on this website. I am a female nursing student and I am interested in this subject because I am preparing my final project on STD’s and pregnancy. I will need your advice and information. –Thank you in advance.
laila el alaoui Posted 2008-01-28
AIDS is a fatal disease caused by HIV. It can be diagnosed through blood analysis only after three months of infection. Symptoms of the disease appear after years of infection. Presently there’s no vaccination against it. Available medicines don’t guarantee total recovery. It’s the result of sexual intercourse with an infected partner, by the use of needles contaminated by decomposed blood or non-sterilized, from the pregnant mother to her foetus during pregnancy or delivery, or from the nursing mother to her baby through her milk. Thank you.
محمد Posted 2008-01-30
I address a request to the brothers who work on the site. Please send me a documentary file about AIDS to use it in raising awareness of young people. The file should include pictures or videos featuring symptoms of the disease. I inform you that I work in education.
Anonymous Posted 2008-01-31
AIDS affects mainly young people associated with bad women. The Muslim young man is armed with faith, he doesn’t fear that disease.
alae din Posted 2008-02-01
What are the symptoms that appear at the beginning of the disease? And where the places where the disease is present in Morocco?
امل Posted 2008-02-02
This is a dangerous disease. People have to be informed about this danger which affects many people.
عبد الوهاب Posted 2008-02-10
Thank you. I would like some general statistics.
غز لا ن بنسا مح Posted 2008-02-15
I’m 17, I would like that you talk more about youth issues, such as sexual deviance, thank you.
simo Posted 2008-02-16
AIDS is a serious disease and is fatal. May God make this disease not affect everyone.
أحمد Posted 2008-02-24
Why is the number of infected people increasing in Morocco?
عمر Posted 2008-03-01
Oh Lord guide all Muslims to the right path.
وفاء Posted 2008-03-06
If someone drank AIDS blood, what would happen to him? Would he quickly catch the disease?
عبد الصمد Posted 2008-03-14
Here, my brother, you will find how you can be infected with AIDS: http://spacetimes.nice-forum.com/montada-f38/topic-t450.htm and http://spacetimes.nice-forum.com/montada-f38/topic-t449.htm You will find detailed information. Thank you.
siham Posted 2008-03-18
It is a very dangerous disease and it should be avoided.
عواطف Posted 2008-03-25
There should be programmes for kids about AIDS so that they know the danger of this disease.
عريان رشيد Posted 2008-04-12
AIDS is one of the most serious diseases of this era. Therefore, there should be awareness-raising campaigns all year long.
nezha Posted 2008-04-12
AIDS is a fatal disease and widely-spread. May God protect us and protect all Muslims.
amina Posted 2008-04-15
Thank you.
najib errayadi Posted 25 days ago
Hi Dr. Himmich, I work with Dr. Chaddad in Beni Mellal. We are leaving for Lalla Amina’s in Fez on the 25th. There you have it: my relation to this. I was helped by one of the people in charge in Beni Mellal.
jamal Posted 21 days ago
With your support, I am making an appeal to all the men and women of Morocco. I want to tell them to inform themselves and inform others, because it is only in passing along information that we can guard ourselves against this evil. Everyday, 15,000 new people a day are infected with HIV in the world. Face the situation! We must double our vigilance and combine our efforts on this common front in order to come up with a shared answer. This is a merciless war.
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