AIDS in the UAE is "no longer a killer"... and the danger is in the "hidden"

A patient with an infectious disease receiving treatment. Photo: Denise Mallary

The file of "AIDS" in the UAE is described as "thorny".. Those responsible for it raise the slogan "It is forbidden to approach or photograph".. Talking about people infected with the virus is almost a "taboo", or it is.

Doctors treating patients refrain from speaking to the media, except after obtaining official permits and approvals from their superiors.. Statistics related to disease carriers are almost written with “secret ink” that no one sees.

"Emirates Today" decided to open the "thorny" file and break into the steel wall built around "AIDS" to find out the reality of the disease in the Emirates. , and the Northern Emirates, and entered the “patient isolation” rooms, and their “scary” treatment departments, to lay their hands on the truth.

Through dialogues, meetings, and investigations, Emirates Today monitored the reality of AIDS in the country, so that the journey ended with an unexpected result. AIDS in the UAE and several Arab countries is no longer a killer, as confirmed by Emirati doctors and international experts.

With complete conviction and documented scientific evidence, they said that “AIDS has become a normal chronic disease, like diabetes and heart disease, and its patients do not die because of it, if they adhere to complete treatment.”

And because the person infected with AIDS now lives for many years, estimated at dozens, his patients, especially in the Emirates, are asking for their right to work, to marry, and even to have children as well.

These demands are supported by doctors responsible for these patients, stressing that "a person with AIDS is able to work, and modern medicine allows him to marry a non-patient and give birth to children who are not HIV-positive, which is what has already been achieved for Emirati patients."

At the same time, however, doctors demand that the disease be dealt with without negligence in treatment and prevention, and warn the "hidden" patients who stay in their homes and are not treated, that they "write their death certificates themselves, and pose a health threat to society."

It has been about 24 years since the discovery of the first case of AIDS in the Emirates, and it was for an Arab patient working in the legal profession, who contracted the disease, after a transfusion of contaminated blood, and left the country to his country in which he died.

Other cases followed, with the influx of workers from different countries of the world, and the main reason for most of them being infected with the virus at that time was the transfusion of contaminated blood, and the disease was transmitted to other people through sexual relations, then through drug needles, then the virus was transmitted from the infected to their wives. through the marital relationship.

The first infected with the virus in the Emirates all died, according to their medical files.

In the early years of the emergence of the disease in the Emirates, the discovery of any patient with AIDS was a “terrifying matter” that could spark terror and panic, but now it does not represent a problem, and does not require an exaggerated reaction, after modern medicine transformed AIDS into a normal disease, and eliminated The idea that he is a "killer of the age."

With these words, the head of the infectious diseases department at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, a member of the AIDS advisory committee in the Gulf region, Dr. Abdullah Al-Astadi, began his talk about the reality of the disease in the Emirates.

He added in an interview with «Emirates Today»: The view that is still prevalent about AIDS is that «a fatal disease, the carrier dies after two or three years, but now it has become a normal disease, or more accurately a chronic disease, that is not cured, but it is controlled, and the carrier lives. To what God wills, and he does not die because of it, if he maintains treatment.

And my stadium explains: At the beginning of the disease, there was no treatment for it, and the patient was facing the virus depending on his personal immunity, so he would die after two or three years, which painted a terrifying picture of the disease, and after experiments, a treatment was reached that attacks the virus in an insufficient way, Therefore, deaths were continuous, but now the picture has changed completely, due to the modern treatment called the “triple” treatment, which is a treatment that is available all over the Emirates and is provided free of charge to patients, although the cost of treatment per patient is estimated at 5000 dirhams per month.

This treatment attacks the virus in a triple way, to eliminate it before it enters the cell, and thus increases the body's immunity, and the infected person lives normally, like any person with a chronic disease.

Estadi explains that the patient cannot be cured of AIDS, but he must be regular in treatment, which consists of two tablets per day, in order to control the virus.

He continued, “Let me tell you with confidence that the AIDS patient who is committed to treatment lives like any normal person, and dies for reasons other than AIDS.” Death for patients who are committed to taking the drug.

On the other hand, my teacher adds, the disease becomes fatal if the patient neglects treatment, and I always say, “He who neglects medication writes his death certificate.” Therefore, “do not be complacent in treating the virus, and do not be complacent in preventing it, because infection means that a sick person will live his whole life in chains.” with a list of medical and social prohibitions.

normal life

My stadium made sure that his speech to "Emirates Today" was inside the infectious diseases clinic in Rashid Hospital, so that Emirati AIDS patients attended the meeting, who appeared before us in a completely normal way, and they were coming from their homes in their private cars.

The patient (F.S.) picked up the conversation, describing himself as “better than other people with cancer, hepatitis, or even diabetes.” He added, “I discovered that I had the virus in 2006, and at that time I had something like complete paralysis in thinking. I thought of emigrating.” And living in a country where no one knows me, until the time of my death, but the doctors who examined my condition asked me to go to the Department of Infectious Diseases in Rashid Hospital, and the doctors’ talk was very reassuring, and they dealt with me without fear or anxiety, as if I had the flu, and not a fatal disease ».

And he continues, “With the passage of days, I had a feeling that I had a normal disease, as I took treatment regularly, practiced my life normally, and met patients who had been carrying the virus in their bodies for many years, without showing any changes.”

The important thing, the patient continues, is that we live with the disease without fear of it and control it with treatment, and at the same time follow the health principles in dealing with those close to us, so that we do not transmit the virus to anyone around us.

He emphasized that "the only thing that bothers us is the look of fear and trembling on us, and had it not been for this look, I would not have hesitated to publish my name and photo in the newspaper."

As for the patient (Saeed Y.), he has been infected with AIDS for more than four years, and the first months passed, harsh and fatal, according to his description, but when he delved deeper into reading about the disease, and learned about the benefits of modern treatment, he kept reviewing the infectious diseases clinic in Dubai, To discover that AIDS no longer means the end of life.

He adds: I have a brother who suffers from diabetes, and he and I are committed to receiving the medication, because if we neglect treatment, he will develop complications from diabetes in the kidneys and eyes, and I will develop complications from a weakened immune system, and I see that there is no difference between us, as we both have a chronic disease, which is also agreed upon by doctors. Our therapists.

According to his saying, “I often forget that I am sick, and go on trips with my friends, and meet them in a “coffee shop” and in the evening I stay up late with my family and my three children, and deal with them normally, but the important thing is not to expose them to means of transmission of infection through wounds or contact with blood. .

Not a nightmare

In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Health Authority, asked that we send a message to the community that AIDS is no longer a terrible nightmare as it was in the past, stressing that it “has become a chronic disease that lasts a lifetime, like diabetes and blood pressure.”

And she explains: In the past, before the availability of triple therapy, the expected life of the patient was estimated at a few years since the occurrence of the injury, but now this expectation has ended, as the patient who is disciplined in treatment lives like any other person who is not sick, and the reason for that is due to the modern treatment that is available for free in the country, Stressing that it is a very effective treatment, maintains immunity, and reduces the percentage of viruses in the blood to a small percentage, pointing out, at the same time, that early detection of the disease, and receiving treatment at the beginning of infection, contribute greatly to controlling the virus, as for the delay in receiving Treatment leads to the collapse of the immune system, and thus the patient becomes a prey to dangerous diseases.

patients for 30 years

In a phone call from Cairo, the former regional coordinator for AIDS in the Arab countries, Khadija Mualla, told Emirates Today: I hope that the Arab community will forget the horrific picture of AIDS, and make sure that it has become "less dangerous than many other diseases."

Maala, who left her position in the United Nations Development Program a few weeks ago, adds that the prevailing negative view towards people living with HIV is what has become fatal for them, but the virus has become almost harmless, if the patient adheres to treatment, and it suffices to say that we have patients with AIDS They have been carrying the virus for more than 30 years, that is, since it was discovered in the world, and they are in good health.

But unfortunately, follow-up, some Gulf countries suffer from detecting infected people in late stages, so I see that every health ministry should conduct “second generation AIDS surveys”, which are surveys that target groups most vulnerable to infection with the virus, such as drug addicts, and those who are likely to become accustomed to behaviors Unethical, and therefore early detection of patients, and control of their injury.

Moala expresses her deep sadness, as the virus is decreasing in all regions of the world, and increasing in the Arab region, due to ignorance of the disease, its causes, failure to conduct a voluntary examination, and escaping from treatment.

Confidential patients

But as far as the disease has become under control, there is still fear in the UAE of "hidden" or "secret" patients who are ignored by health institutions, and this is the category that has contracted AIDS, and refuses to go to hospitals, for fear of "stigma".

And these, according to infectious disease doctors, pose a threat to the health security of society, because they may cause the infection to be transmitted to those close to them, and at the same time, they kill themselves with a slow death.

Dr. Farida Al-Hosani reveals that the doctors of the Department of Infectious Diseases in Abu Dhabi have discovered that there is a small percentage of patients aware of their infection, but they refuse to go to treatment clinics, for fear of the community's view, and for fear that those close to them will know the nature of their disease.

She pointed out, "There are other patients who are unaware of their disease, or who prefer to receive treatment abroad, and due to the seriousness of such cases, we are working to launch awareness campaigns about the need for regular treatment, to clarify the importance of voluntary examination, to discover the disease early."

"We communicate with these patients, and assure them that treatment is carried out in complete confidentiality, and the identity of any AIDS patient will never be revealed," she added.

As for Dr. Abdullah Al-Astadi, he believes that there are misconceptions that are the reason for the presence of hidden AIDS patients, as some believe that the patient will be referred to legal authorities, or imprisoned, or quarantined, which are far from the truth.

And he continues: The lack of awareness among patients, their fear of looks of shame, and accusations of abnormalities and illegal relationships, is the reason for some of them' reluctance to receive treatment, and pushes them to isolate from society, and these "undoubtedly kill themselves, because not receiving treatment is the beginning of the end for the patient."

He said, "In my estimation, if voluntary examination campaigns were launched, with an assurance that the results would be completely confidential, we would discover cases of unknown disease, so it is necessary to launch such campaigns and launch awareness campaigns to persuade the 'hiding' patients to treat, and then preserve State health security.

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