UN Kuwait office marks AIDS Day

UN office and staff in Kuwait are working hard on disseminating AIDS awareness as well as seeking solutions to help patients enjoy a normal life, UN Resident Coordinator Dr. Mubashar Riaz Sheikh said on Tuesday.
Sheikh, also Resident Coordinator of the UN Development Program (UNDP), made the statement to KUNA on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the UN office in Kuwait to mark the World AIDS Day, December 1.
The ceremony was organized in cooperation with the Kuwait Central Blood Bank and the Ministry of Health AIDS Awareness and Information Committee.
Not only is AIDS a health problem, but also a development and social one in the context of human rights, Chairperson of the AIDS Data and Statistics Office at the Ministry of Health, Hend Al-Shomer, told the event.
The way the society regards an AIDS patient has changed alot, compared to the time when the disease was discovered long ago, Al-Shomer, also Rapporteur of Kuwait's National AIDS Control Committee, added.
Thanks to medications, AIDS patients can now lead largely a normal life and merge in the society, she said.
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region marks World AIDS Day under the slogan "HIV treatment controls the virus. Treat for Life. Prevent for Life". Al-Shomer said.
The first AIDS case in the world was discovered in 1981, and the first in Kuwait was in 1984, she added, noting that the rate in Kuwait is still insignificant.