AIDS in Iran; Increased Prevalence Among Women and Through Sexual Relations

The latest official statistics from Iran regarding AIDS speak of an increase in the number of infected individuals, particularly among women and through sexual contact. A conversation with Dr. Kamiar Alaei, an international health expert in New York, on the occasion of World AIDS Day.

Based on Iran’s official statistics, AIDS has increased in the country among women and young people. The statistics indicate that injecting drug use and sexual contact are the main routes of HIV infection in Iran. However, gradually, infection through sexual contact has increased, and the number of infected individuals in the age range of 21 to 35 years has also risen.

Other transmission routes have been reported as mother-to-child, blood, and blood products.

According to statistics announced by Parvin Afsar Kazerouni, head of the AIDS department at the Ministry of Health, to ILNA news agency, by the first of Farvardin 1396, the number of people with AIDS in Iran was estimated at 66,359, of whom 34,949 had been identified.

Many experts believe the actual number of people with AIDS in Iran is significantly higher than official figures.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei, an international health expert in New York and former Harvard University researcher, tells Deutsche Welle: “We can estimate these figures based on groups at risk of HIV virus and AIDS or risky behaviors. It seems the number of infected people, according to estimates, exceeds 100,000 people.”

Dr. Alaei explains: “If we make a rough calculation, in Iran there are more than three million addicts, of which approximately 20 percent have injecting drug use. That means we have approximately 600,000 injecting drug users in the country, and the rate of HIV among them is more than 15 percent. That means we have at least 90,000 injecting drug users with AIDS in Iran.”

According to him: “Given that two-thirds of AIDS cases are through injecting drug use, if we add one-third to 90,000, the estimates show over 120,000 people. And since approximately 36,000 people have been identified, in fact by dividing 36,000 by 120,000, we find that approximately 25 to less than 30 percent of people with AIDS are aware of their condition.”

Prevention of Risky Sexual Relations

Dr. Kamiar Alaei considers education the best way to reduce the possibility of AIDS infection in sexual relations. He says: “Young people between 15 and 30 years old are at risk of unprotected sexual relations, and if there are no continuous educational programs in schools, universities, barracks, or anywhere that can attract young people, it causes a young, unmarried person to unintentionally contract sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, through an unprotected sexual relationship.”

In his view, the lack of education in this area, justified by cultural barriers, and the absence of sufficient education in radio and television, universities, and schools has “made this process concerning in the future.”

The use of condoms during sexual intercourse and the treatment of infected mothers, in Dr. Alaei’s view, “reduces the chance of transmission from 35 percent to below 2 percent.”

Experts consider early diagnosis a key factor in patients living a normal life. Dr. Alaei says on this matter: “The earlier a person is identified, not only does it prevent them from transmitting the disease to their loved ones, a man to his wife and a woman to her child, but also if he is treated as early as possible, the chance of transmission can reach zero, and third, his life expectancy can be extended to normal levels.”

Another key factor for a patient to live a normal life is adherence to treatment. Dr. Kamiar Alaei on the therapeutic advances for treating AIDS says: “There are more than 25 different types of drugs in this field. There are multiple drugs that, with different mechanisms, stop the replication of the virus in the body, and this stoppage causes the level of virus in the blood to decrease and reach a level that is difficult to detect. This reduction in replication causes the body’s immune cells not to be destroyed, their production to increase, and the person to be strengthened immunologically and the chance of opportunistic infections to decrease.”

Another solution to combat AIDS is preventing the birth of newborns with AIDS by timely identification of pregnant mothers.

Dr. Kamiar Alaei, referring to the solution of testing pregnant women for AIDS detection, says: “The Ministry of Health wants to make this policy universal from the new year, which is actually very good work. But this policy must be conditional; first, it should not be universal at the national level, but should be conducted in some parts of the country as a pilot, and second, these tests should be conducted in cities that definitely have triangular clinics.”

This expert believes that because of the adverse consequences that may occur due to cultural issues after AIDS is diagnosed in pregnant women, this test should be conducted in a place where triangular clinics exist: “It would be irresponsible for us to recommend to everyone that all pregnant women should be tested without considering that if individuals are positive, they should be counseled by triangular clinics to prevent social disasters.”

Dr. Kamiar Alaei, along with his brother Arash Alaei, is a founder of triangular clinics in Iran. He was imprisoned in Iran for several years, like his brother, due to his activities in fighting AIDS.

Triangular clinics, which were first established in Iran 17 years ago, have three vertices of counseling and treatment for AIDS, addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases (other than AIDS), which have been established in major Iranian cities to combat this disease.

The services of these clinics, which were established with the help of the Ministry of Health, are conducted confidentially or anonymously if the patient wishes, and patients do not need referral or disclosure of their names to undergo testing and receive counseling.

Source: DW