Somalia: Cross-border migration a HIV/AIDS threat

[Jacpher]

Somalia: Cross-border migration a HIV/AIDS threat

By Sumba Snr and agencies

Dec 6, 2006, 03:04

 

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NAIROBI,- Somalia's HIV prevalence of about one percent is low, but the cross-border movement of people is causing an increase in infection rates, according to Dr Fernando Morales of the UN Children's Fund's Somalia office. Northwestern Somalia, which shares a frontier with Ethiopia, is particularly at risk.

 

Leo Kenny, UNAIDS country coordinator for Somalia, told PlusNews: "The prevalence rate is very high for a Muslim society and it is heading towards a generalised epidemic. Somalia is at the same stage that South Africa was 10 years ago."

 

The country is divided into three distinct regions: the self-declared republic of Somaliland in the northwest, the self-declared autonomous region of Puntland in the northeast, and south-central Somalia. According to a 2004 study by the UN World Health Organisation, HIV prevalence in Somaliland was 1.4 percent, hitting 2.5 percent in the port city of Berbera - the highest in the country - compared to 0.6 in south-central Somalia.

 

Prevalence in neighbouring Ethiopia is about 3.5 percent, but in some border areas that figure can jump to 10 percent, said Morales.

 

Somalia has had no legitimate government for the past fifteen years and suffers from chronic food insecurity. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis live and work in the neighbouring countries of Kenya and Ethiopia, and often travel to and from their homeland for economic or social reasons, while thousands more are refugees.

 

A 2006 UNAIDS report on cross-border mobility in the Horn of Africa found it was not uncommon for men who were away from home, such as truckers and traders, to have unprotected sex with commercial sex workers. For displaced and vulnerable women, transactional sex was often a coping mechanism that placed them at increased risk of infection.

 

Among mobile populations, various social, cultural, and linguistic barriers increased the difficulty of accessing HIV/AIDS services. The problem in Somalia was being compounded by the general unavailability of condoms and lack of adequate healthcare, said Kenny of UNAIDS.

 

Regional governments have begun recognising the importance of confronting the issue of migration as a factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS. At a meeting in November in Somaliland, representatives of national AIDS commissions from Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and southern Sudan cited greater cooperation between governments in the Horn of Africa as the key to winning the regional fight against the pandemic.

 

"We have a long history of movement across borders in our region, and we know that mobile population groups may have limited access to HIV prevention and treatment services," Muse Kassim, executive director of the Somaliland AIDS Commission, told delegates. "This is a challenge to the region in its entirety, and cannot be solved through national responses alone."

 

Source

[Abu-Salman]

Obviously, a secular government would hardly consider as priorities issues such as health, especially when unchallenged and leading illiterate masses.

 

Hence, the Aids issue highlight the inherent incoherence of a government who fail to protect his population, ie his very raison d'etre.

 

For instance, prevention against AIDS started to be mentioned in the media in Djibouti in 95/96 only when the situation was already noticed as potentially disastrous by Health NGOs.

 

Yet, despite few showcases destined to milk international agenies and donors, nothing has been done to attack the root causes of this evil, ie widespread prostitution tolerated by the State (young girls were lured by foreign presence from as far as the Ethiopian Highlands).

The latest news suggest that autorities are now constraint to mobilize the ulamas given overwhelmingly shocking statistics.

 

For now, the only hope we have is Shariah implementation in Somalia which will avert the impending disaster there;

As for Somaliland and Puntland, they are also learning the hard way that a society based on secular laws & institutions is the perfect recipe for auto-genocide...

[ElPunto]

^What does secular have to do with HIV/AIDS? Countries in secular Europe have lower infection rates than the more overtly Chrisitan countries of southern Africa.

 

I don't think these guys know anything about the real prevalence rates in Somalia. But it is clear that more needs to be done to increase awareness.

[Abu-Salman]

Secular entities in the West are accountable to an informed public, hence under pressure; but even with such counter-powers, they irremediably fail to adopt the necessary policies for promoting public health, social cohesion & solidarity, environmental protection, not mentioning limiting the widespread expoitation of less developed nations.

 

What incentive could possibly have corruption ridden governments, favorising nepotism on merit and manipulating ignorant masses to promot courageous policies even if they are "democratically elected" just like in Kenya?

 

How could such institutions adopt ethics as priority, especially nowadays, when we are facing so many economic, social and moral threats?

 

Were not the former civilians, "democratic" Somali governments, much celebrated as "African exemples", those who pioneered state-sponsored, widespread corruption, tribal manipulations, social divisions and generalized neglect to the extent that Syad Barre coup d'Etat and consequent regime was unanimously hailed as "liberation" and the beginning of progressive social policies, infrastructure building and promotion of Somalis unity and solidarity?

[ElPunto]

Djib - I think you answered the question. It is not secular or religious or Islamic that matters with regard to this. It is about accountability, responsibility, spreading awareness and clean government. I looked at the stats for Djibouti - how is possible that 10% of populace has it? Djibouti has worse rate than Ethiopia or Kenya. Strange.

[RedSea]

I agree with THE POINT,being secular has absulately nothing to do with HIV/AIDS affection,because if that was the case,Southern Somalia which has very low affect rate,considering that it had no government secular or non secular.In my opinion,there is gotta be some way to control the immigrants from Ethiopia before they mix in with our soceity,this is major problem,we need to do something about this.

 

The only reason this is taken place is the fact that there aren't immigration control policies in place for both Somaliland or Puntland,as well as Djabuti also shares the same border with Ethiopia therefore,Somaliland is getting the HIV/AIDS from both regions,Ethiopia and Djabuti.Siyad Barre regime wasn't standing in the way of this disease,however the only thing was that the two countries were rivals and didn't intermix with each other,now that is gone in some parts,the Ethios are coming in unchecked.

[ElPunto]

^Well - u only get the disease if you 'interact' with the saqachaans(sp) who carry it - otherwise it doesn't touch you.

[RedSea]

^well you are right to some extent,but not exactly.there are always other ways you may be reciepient of this disease.However,it was xadith of the prophet peace be upon him,saying if people don't stop sexual intercourse before marriage,they will experience diseases that weren't known to their forefathers,the prophet also added that they won't be able to find a cure for such diseas,so gentelman,is there any doubt that HIV/AIDs is it?

[Khalaf]

Originally posted by Mr.Red Sea:

[QB] I agree with THE POINT,being secular has absulately nothing to do with HIV/AIDS affection,because if that was the case,Southern Somalia which has very low affect rate,considering that it had no government secular or non secular.

Red one can argue southern somalia is more conservative (religious)then those other regions of somalia which have problem w/ HIV/Aids. I agree wit that.......more secular/westernized (dijoubti) more cases with HIV.

[RedSea]

^are you sure about that,I wonder if religion also teaches peace?

[Khalaf]

^^deen does teach peace, and thanks to Islam the south is getting peace. heard once the kufars wanted to send condoms, but were rejected by the religous leaders in xamar. ilbaxnimo being more western (South africa, djboubti) gets u diseases lol.

 

anywhere where islam is strong, hiv/aids is low....facts on the ground. Takbir!

[RedSea]

^okay,let us just agree on that,but be careful in singling out regions like Djabuti,you might get hit in the head with an egg.lol

[Chimera]

what a bullsh1t these UNAIDS people are sneaky

 

they make these stories and numbers up so they can come with there infected needles

 

as if the nomads greet each other with sex

 

ridicilous just keep them dirty needles away from my people

[Cara.]

Originally posted by ThePoint:

^Well - u only get the disease if you 'interact' with the saqachaans(sp) who carry it - otherwise it doesn't touch you.

By 'interact' do you mean, eg, you're a new-born and your mother got infected with HIV from her husband and you get HIV from her breast-milk?

[rudy-Diiriye]

to bring it home ppl, i was shocked when i met my first xalimoo gal-friend and she complained why am i wearing the xiga!

 

i explained to my dear xalimo, since we live in the 21st century, std is a fact of live and we both need protection!

 

by then the point was mood! anyway the fact is that aids which was homosexual disease is bleaking the hetersexual folks in sub-sahara africa! and the reason is lack of basic protections like xiga or condoms and education!!

 

neither the religious sectors nor the govts are willing to do anything but rather watch ppl die in droves. talk is cheap but life is perious.

 

my cousin in somali passed away last yr due to aids. how many more need to die before so called leaders admit the problem is there and action is over due!!

 

i say give them free xigs and education like it was done in Uganda!! and let them live. :eek: