Turkmen, Uzbeks Should Disclose HIV Data
Turkmen, Uzbeks Should Disclose HIV Data
As Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan mark World Aids Day, analysts say they need to publish accurate statistics on the scale of infection if they are to fight the spread of HIV effectively.
Local observers say that on December 1, both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan ran a series of HIV awareness-raising events and broadcasts, targeting young people in particular.
Both countries receive funding from international organisations to conduct HIV prevention programmes, and have set up specialised HIV/AIDS treatment centres.
What they are lacking is official permission to reveal the extent of infection, since both the Uzbek and Turkmen governments attempt to conceal the numbers of people infected.
“There’s no point trying to combat AIDS unless you have accurate statistics in the public domain,” said an analyst in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat.
He explained that armed with precise figures, major health foundations could start working to contain the spread of HIV in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, provide medication and healthcare, and build up educational programmes.
“An uncaring attitude to HIV control endangers the health of the next generation,” he added.
The official view in Turkmenistan is that only two cases of HIV have been recorded. Some experts believe the true number runs into the thousands, not least because illegal drug consumption is booming, and with it the shared use of needles.
The situation is similar in Uzbekistan, where NBCentralAsia analysts argue that HIV is spreading quickly in this fast-growing population.
In late November, the Uzbek authorities published information showing that there were 13,000 HIV-positive people, in a country of 27 million.
The very fact an announcement was made was surprising, and it was probably no coincidence that it came three weeks after independent media reported that 33 children had become infected with HIV at the main regional hospital in the eastern city of Namangan.
Experts say that as well as hampering effective policies, the suppression of HIV data has a negative impact on medical practice. In an attempt to keep HIV cases quiet, doctors tend to ignore even the most pronounced symptoms in patients.
According to one doctor in Turkmenistan, “Sometimes we get patients who have unusual symptoms. Generally they are drug addicts. But we rarely check them for HIV.”
An analyst based in the Uzbek capital Tashkent said any doctor diagnosing AIDS would immediately become subject to surveillance by the secret police, so as to ensure he or she did not disclose this information to the public.
“The authorities have no interest in publishing accurate information on the incidence of the disease,” he said. “They want to show that their countries have virtually no AIDS cases.”
(NBCentralAsia is an IWPR-funded project to create a multilingual news analysis and comment service for Central Asia, drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region. The project ran from August 2006 to September 2007, covering all five regional states. With new funding, the service is resuming, covering only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for the moment.)
Local observers say that on December 1, both Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan ran a series of HIV awareness-raising events and broadcasts, targeting young people in particular.
Both countries receive funding from international organisations to conduct HIV prevention programmes, and have set up specialised HIV/AIDS treatment centres.
What they are lacking is official permission to reveal the extent of infection, since both the Uzbek and Turkmen governments attempt to conceal the numbers of people infected.
“There’s no point trying to combat AIDS unless you have accurate statistics in the public domain,” said an analyst in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat.
He explained that armed with precise figures, major health foundations could start working to contain the spread of HIV in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, provide medication and healthcare, and build up educational programmes.
“An uncaring attitude to HIV control endangers the health of the next generation,” he added.
The official view in Turkmenistan is that only two cases of HIV have been recorded. Some experts believe the true number runs into the thousands, not least because illegal drug consumption is booming, and with it the shared use of needles.
The situation is similar in Uzbekistan, where NBCentralAsia analysts argue that HIV is spreading quickly in this fast-growing population.
In late November, the Uzbek authorities published information showing that there were 13,000 HIV-positive people, in a country of 27 million.
The very fact an announcement was made was surprising, and it was probably no coincidence that it came three weeks after independent media reported that 33 children had become infected with HIV at the main regional hospital in the eastern city of Namangan.
Experts say that as well as hampering effective policies, the suppression of HIV data has a negative impact on medical practice. In an attempt to keep HIV cases quiet, doctors tend to ignore even the most pronounced symptoms in patients.
According to one doctor in Turkmenistan, “Sometimes we get patients who have unusual symptoms. Generally they are drug addicts. But we rarely check them for HIV.”
An analyst based in the Uzbek capital Tashkent said any doctor diagnosing AIDS would immediately become subject to surveillance by the secret police, so as to ensure he or she did not disclose this information to the public.
“The authorities have no interest in publishing accurate information on the incidence of the disease,” he said. “They want to show that their countries have virtually no AIDS cases.”
(NBCentralAsia is an IWPR-funded project to create a multilingual news analysis and comment service for Central Asia, drawing on the expertise of a broad range of political observers across the region. The project ran from August 2006 to September 2007, covering all five regional states. With new funding, the service is resuming, covering only Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for the moment.)
