Kuwait Launches Annual AIDS and STDs Conference

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KUWAIT CITY, Nov 6: The head of the Infectious Diseases Department at Jahra Hospital 2 Dr. Osama Al-Baqsami announced the launch of the annual Kuwait AIDS and Venereal Diseases Conference today, which will shed light on AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and the latest methods of diagnosis and treatment. In a press statement, Dr. Al-Baqsami explained that the conference, which is being held under the auspices of the Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi for two days, includes 12 scientific lectures presented by four visiting consultant doctors from outside Kuwait, as well as local contributions about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, diagnostic and therapeutic, and their vaccinations. It aims to limit the transmission of these diseases, shed light on the latest diagnostic methods, and familiarize doctors with the nature of these diseases, the latest treatment methods, and how to deal with them and limit their transmission.

The conference’s message is to educate medical staff about the nature of AIDS, as well as enhance community awareness through the presence of imams of mosques, members of the Ministry of Interior and Information, social workers from the Ministry of Education, and primary health care doctors. He revealed that there are 39 million infected people in the world, 21 million of whom are undergoing treatment, and there are 190,000 in the Middle East.

Infected
Dr. Al-Baqsami went on to explain that the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS mentioned it in its annual report for 2022 about the performance of countries, which was published last July. Kuwait ranked first in the Arab world, as 94 percent of those infected were diagnosed, 93 percent of them underwent treatment, and 92 percent adhered to treatment completely, which resulted in the concentration of the virus in the blood is “zero”. The report made it clear that Kuwait is first in the Arab world in achieving high standards of success, and that it is advanced globally, as the goal and standard of success required of every country is to reach 95 percent and aspire to reach it during the next few years. Kuwait provides medical treatment according to the latest treatment protocols, and conducts AIDS screening at multiple stages and points, including screening blood donors. Testing is mandatory before marriage, in pregnant women’s clinics, in sexually transmitted disease clinics, before employment, and before starting dialysis.

Achievements
One of the achievements realized by Kuwait is that an infected woman can become pregnant six months after taking the treatment, and give birth to healthy children without a cesarean section. Another medical achievement in this field is that, after six months have passed since the infected man has committed to treatment, he can continue his marriage life with his uninfected wife without exposing her to the risk of infection, and she can become pregnant and give birth to healthy children. Dr. Al-Baqsami stated that the average lifespan of an infected person who is committed to treatment is very close to the average lifespan in society, and he is expected to live in good health for decades provided that he adheres to treatment. He revealed that treatment is one pill a day, and its complications are almost negligible.

By Marwa Al-Bahrawi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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