‘The society treated the AIDS patient with utter contempt and pity, causing her whole family to plunge into darkness, and making it live a life that is, in essence, lifeless, devoid of the lust/passion for life.’ This is how Drishti, an NGO, lamented while introducing an AIDS patient named Momena Begum (35) to the audience during a day-long session entitled ‘Advocating Meeting on HIV/AIDS Prevention’ held recently at the Comilla Zila Parishad auditorium.

Momena Begum’s was a happy family comprising her husband and two children. The elder child is 13 years old, the younger 3, both of them being free from HIV virus infection. Completely unaware when the disease had lodged in her body, she was taken to the central hospital of the district one day in November 2004, having caught fever, diarrhea and cough, only to be down with typhoid barely a month later and diagnosed by the doctors with AIDS. Then, she was given shelter by the voluntary organization Ashar Alo and got rid of the criticism the society had inflicted on her. Momena was not alone at Ashar Alo; there were Rita, Salma, Asma, Smriti with her, all of whom longing for riddance from the contempt and neglect of the society as well as the family. Listening to the account of the insufferable life of Momena Begum the Chairman and members of the Union Council, the government officials working at the Police station, as well as the journalists and editors of local newspapers present at the occasion turned speechless.

According to Habiba Alam, the executive director of Ashar Alo, the organization provides health services to 139 HIV infected patients of whom 40 are women, 93 men, and 6 children aged from 2 to 11years. All the children, belonging to the lower middle class and middle class, became infected with AIDS through their parents, the male parents of each of them being migrant workers with two already dead. The mothers of all the children are infected with HIV virus. Beset with different problems, their basic rights like food and dwelling go unfulfilled, let alone the huge treatment cost. To add to their woes, they too have become victims of social oppression as exemplified by the fact that they are turned out from schools. Sadekin was a student of a school at Mirpur. When his father died and it was known that he had succumbed to AIDS, the very next day Sadekin was expelled from the school, with her mother sent for by the headmistress and conveyed the marching order of her son.

Dr. Najrul Islam, Professor Department of Virology, said that treatment of AIDS is most convenient for the patients if it is done at the hospital.
Moreover, the cost of the treatment is very high, with a single tablet costing nearly taka 74, and the total cost per month amounting to taka 3 to four thousand which is often very difficult for a patient to bear personally.

It requires at least taka 3 thousand for the treatment of a child. With no syrup available for them, the tablets need to be mixed with honey while taking. In Bangladesh, the medicine of AIDS is prepared by Beximco Pharmaceuticals and Ganaswasthya.

Doctor Nafisa Abedin said that there are seven thousand six hundred and seventy seven AIDS patients in Bangladesh, according to government statistics; the number is 13 thousand according to UNAIDS, while according to WHO, it is 21 thousand.

At present, the AIDS patients are being treated at the Sangkramak Vyadhi Haspatal  at Mahakhali. According to the experts, the authorities concerned have no plan to import the medicines in near future, given the exorbitant price of them. The list of those medicines are to be found on the website htt://www.fda.gov/oashi/aids.

On December the 2nd, during a discussion meeting entitled ‘Prevention of AIDS and Human Trafficking’ arranged by Bangladesh Parliament member Support Group (BPMSG), Khurshod Jahan Hque, the minister for Women and Children, pointed out the problems faced by the AIDS patients. As a token of their sympathy to the AIDS patients, the authorities of Mamataj Adarsha Etimkhana (Mamataj Ideal Orpahange) situated at Abdullahpur, Uttara, provided shelter to two children of an AIDS patient.

In June, 2001 Bangladesh took part in the 26th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations lending her support to the ‘Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS' in which were pointed out the essential points for combating the AIDS epidemic: in order to fulfil the promises expressed in the declaration and prevent HIV/AIDS, awareness building must be given priority. The slogan of the AIDS day of this year is ‘stop AIDS, Keep the Promise’, which has been adopted in light of the above mentioned Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.

Bangladesh government as well as the people of the country has been quite aware of the danger that AIDS purports. Taking into consideration the danger, A National AIDS Committee was formed in 1985 and it has been going on working. Moreover, a national AIDS Policy was adopted which was approved by the government. Different initiatives are being taken through the policy to prevent AIDS, with field level activities being implemented with a view to bring about changes in the behaviour pattern of the people. No fewer than 24 NGOs are working at the field level to prevent AIDS. Moreover, different ministries of the government, e.g., finance, religion, state, information, woman and child, youth and sports, labour, education, social welfare and telecommunication, have been working in concert with the Health and Family Planning ministry to prevent AIDS.

Already, a new law has been passed to ensure risk free blood transfusion, with arrangement made to identify HIV in 97 health centres including different hospitals at the district centres, medical colleges and specialized hospitals. Since 1998, different activities, eg, observation of the world AIDS day, undertaking a variety of national initiatives on HIV/AIDS, providing training to the youths, and telecasting slogans on radio and TV and putting them up at double decked buses, have been carried out. Moreover, the national Strategic Plan 2004-2010 was adopted having appraised the HIV/AIDS situation in Bangladesh and made an analysis of the epidemiological risk factors.

Recently, while speaking at the seminar held at the Press Institute of Bangladesh on the present situation of HIV/AIDS, the health minister Dr. Khandokar Mosharraf Hossain said, ‘Because of the social values prevailing in the society, religious rules and regulations, and family tradition and culture, HIV/AIDS has not spread out in Bangladesh. But she is at risk as the disease has spread out in the neighbouring countries. In order to keep the country free from HIV/AIDS epidemic, active participation of the people of all walks of life as well as timely initiatives of the government which we have is essential. Now, being fortified with the two forces, we are to march forward with the pledge of preventing the epidemic.’