Risky Behavior Fuels Vulnerability

to HIV/AIDS in Low Prevalence Country

Anirudha Alam

Countries like Bangladesh where spread of HIV/AIDS is relatively slow nowadays have a
window of opportunity to avoid more serious epidemics. Comprehensive access to HIV
prevention, treatment, care and support in low prevalence countries should be ensured
through strengthening integrated HIV/AIDS prevention programs and projects. In this
regard, highlighting the priorities of an effective response to the epidemic, it is very much
essential to take the exclusive scope to keep HIV at bay. It should be recognized that to
scale up prevention, treatment, care and support is a vital right for all.

Encompassing enhanced access to inclusive treatment and prevention programs,

significant developments have been found in recent years in global efforts to address the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. But due to practicing risky behavior, the number of people living
with HIV is increasing consecutively. Diminution of national HIV prevalence is being
brought about in some sub-Saharan African countries, though this kind of trend is neither
remarkable nor long-lasting satisfactorily.

If there is low prevalence of HIV in a country it does not indicate that HIV prevention is
low priority. Comprehensive access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in
low prevalence countries may be promoted through developing a holistic and integrated
national strategy plan with far-seeing and pragmatic targets for being achieved by 2010.
To contain the spread of HIV epidemic, innovative HIV/AIDS prevention
programs/projects have to be initiated complementing government efforts to orchestrate
national strategic plan successfully through effective partnership as a whole.

Ensuring the involvement of civil society, NGOs, young people, religious leader as well
as people living with HIV, a potential national AIDS coordinating authority comes in for
maintaining profound linkages between national strategic plans and such other relevant
programs as tuberculosis, sexual transmitted infection, reproductive health, general health
care and so on. There is no alternative to mobilize human resources through improved
management and capacity building for all aspects of HIV and AIDS prevention.

Greater availability of injectable drugs, stigma and discrimination towards people

infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, women trafficking, polygamy and early marriage may
trigger epidemics on a large scale. Countries with low levels of HIV infection need
sufficient funding, challenging and well-defined targets, and much-admired political and
cultural commitment as well as community based well-planned social mobilization to
strengthen support for national HIV/AIDS prevention programs. With an effective focus
on prevention , enough financial and technical support have to be ensured to implement
national strategic plans increasing significant participatory involvement in program
design, implementation, advocacy and monitoring & evaluation.

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In the context of developing countries, drug use is mostly a hidden subculture in the
urban communities. According to the findings of BEES (Bangladesh Extension
Education Services), 85% young people addicted in injecting regularly are severely
vulnerable to ill health, HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C in Bangladesh. Therefore a great
urgency exists to ensure availability of health care services which protect young drug
users from contracting blood-borne viruses all along the country. On the other hand,
Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation estimated that HIV prevalence among
adolescent girls involved in such risky behavior as using drugs is higher than 60% in
urban and suburban areas of Bangladesh. They must have access to health and social care
services which provide support to change their high risk behavior and reduce the
vulnerability caused by transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Injecting drug use, unprotected paid sex as well as unprotected sex between men
considered as the centrality of high-risk behavior are fueling the skyrocketing spread of
HIV/AIDS in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Two in three (67%) prevalent
HIV infections in 2005 were caused by drug abuse in central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Near about 13% of HIV infections was due to use of non-sterile injecting drug use
equipment among sex workers and their clients in the same countries. So the countries
with low levels of HIV infections have to improve surveillance systems that they may
better understand the factors identifying obstacles and opportunities for scaling up
national HIV prevention, treatment, care and support efforts.

Anirudha Alam
Deputy Director (Information & Development Communication) & Trainer
BEES (Bangladesh Extension Education Services)
183, Lane 2, Eastern Road, New DOHS
Mohakhali, Dhaka 1206
Bangladesh.
Website: http://www.bees-bd.org
Phone: 01718342876, 9889732, 9889733 (office), 8050514 (res.)
E-mail: anirudhaalam@yahoo.com

Ref: UNAIDS, UNESCO, FHI

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