NATIONAL 5 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Sex Education

Nepal has the conditions conducive to rapid spread of HIV AIDS and STDs due to large scale migration and low condom use

By AKSHAY SHARMA

In nearly two decades after the disease was first discovered in Africa, the AIDS is finally starting to sweep across Nepal affecting families, communities and increasingly the economy. The responses to this disease has been inadequate in this Himalayan Kingdom.

Nepal is left with no choice but to take radical steps to help curb the rampant spread of AIDS and the Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

Because there is no vaccine in sight for the prevention and/or cure of the AIDS and as drugs, too, are only partly effective, knowledge on the spread of the virus is the only way to prevent it spreading. Usual preventive steps of safe sex, safe blood and safe needles are the only ways to combat the problem.

This year the Condom Day was celebrated in all the 75 districts on the 14th October to generate awareness at the grass roots level about the importance of using condom. In 1996 Condom day was celebrated in 65 districts and over 250,000 people were reached with the message about the importance of using condoms for birth spacing and for preventing sexually transmitted disease.

Condom day was initiated six years ago. People are engaged throughout the country in rallies, races, and puppet shows, games and dances to educate about the benefits of using condom.

AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections are major health threats today, and Nepal is no exception. What is particularly worrying is that Nepal has the conditions conducive to rapid spread of HI V, AIDS and sexually transmitted disease due to large scale migration, wide availability of commercial sex and low condom use.

A media campaign on September 2, 2000 said, " Use Condoms to protect your sexual health." The grand design is to prevent HI V/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted infections ( STI) through out the country.

"By getting volunteers to work in their communities en masse, by gathering more resources to support those who are sick and their families, by continuing to advocate for the rights of the sick and trying to treat AIDS as a huge disaster it is, we can help to provide something really precious for those in despair - hope for the future," said Astrid Heidlberg , president of the International federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies.

The current campaign called 'Condom Bata Surakchya-Youn swastha ko Raksha" is initiated by Family Health International Nepal (FHI-N) in association with HMG and USAID.

"The Ministry has put the issue of HIV/AIDS and STDs in the national priority program," said Srikant Regmi, Secretary at Ministry of Health.

It will focus on the preventive measure to control AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease among high risk groups. These include female -commercial workers, truck drivers, migrant male laborers and teenagers. The group was defined after a behavioral surveillance 2000 conducted by FHI - N.

FHI-N in association with National center for AIDS and STDs control, had initiated the first phase of preventive measures against AIDS in 1993. This campaign had aimed to encourage the use of condoms and reduce high risk behavior under the slogan- "Condom lagaun AIDS bhagaun ( use a condom to drive away AIDS).

The problem of AIDS and sexually transmitted disease knows no political boundaries. Recently 5,000 scientists from around the world who gathered at the 13th International AIDS conference at Durban , South Africa , came out with a resounding assertion : an unprecedented statement, known as the Durban Declaration, citing extensive publications in scientific literature , establishing a casual relationship between HIV and AIDS.

"This campaign will try to instill a sense of risk to the target group through the use of humor, popular images , music and realistic situations from daily life . The targeted group of mobile men who are often in denial that they are at risk by the use of condoms," said the acting Chief of health and Family Planning at USAID Nepal Catherine Thompson.

The campaigners plan to raise awareness through billboards along the highway, radio, television and radio. Speakers at the program debated the need for multi-sectored and personal awareness to combat the problem.