| Izah Azahari |
THE increase in HIV cases in Brunei Darussalam this year shows that more people are aware of the virus and undergoing HIV tests, the Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAC) said yesterday.
However, the concern now is that there are more individuals infected with the virus, which means that more awareness campaigns should be carried out, Iswandy bin Ahmad, the President of BDAC, said.
He was asked to comment on the latest HIV statistics in Brunei Darussalam released by the Ministry of Health on December 1, 2015, showing 24 HIV cases this year compared to 12 cases in 2014, at the ‘RED (Re-educate, Empower and Destigmatise): A Red Ribbon Campaign’ which was held at Mabohai Shopping Complex to mark the World AIDS Day 2015.
The media spoke with the event’s co-organiser from the BDAC, Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and the Health Promotion Centre (HPC) about their plans for tackling HIV/AIDS.
It was mentioned that the HIV cases did not involve a specific gender group or age with the cases ranging from as young as 18 years old and as old as 70 years old.
Iswandy bin Ahmad, the President of the Brunei Darussalam AIDS Council (BDAC); Dr Hajah Norol-Ehsan binti Haji Abdul Hamid, a Medical Officer at the Health Promotion Centre (HPC), and Marilyn Graeme, the Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), speaking with the media during the ‘RED (Re-educate, Empower and Destigmatise): A Red Ribbon Campaign’ held at Mabohai Shopping Complex yesterday. – IZAH AZAHARI
Iswandy said that the BDAC’s target group in its awareness campaigns mostly consists of individuals on the verge of adulthood, and it is vital to provide information and education to them to avoid HIV cases.
For the past few years, BDAC has conducted talks for students, educators and professionals, and held workshops for teachers and counsellors.
“There are plans next year, during which we will target nurses,” said Iswandy. “And also to reach out to those that are underground – and by that, I mean in terms of behaviour, location and character as a whole.”
Iswandy explained the rationale for targeting nurses is that they are usually first to meet patients during medical checks.
Dr Hajah Norol-Ehsan binti Haji Abdul Hamid, a Medical Officer at the HPC, said that the Ministry of Health has been conducting a Global School Health survey since last year on HIV/AIDS and other health-related issues among students aged between 13 and 17 years old in selected secondary schools.
The findings are being analysed, and the results will be shared when the analysis is completed.
HPC is also conducting a pilot programme among secondary schools, focusing on overall Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), as well as prevention programmes that started out as a result of a workshop organised by the BDAC and the Curriculum Department.
Marilyn Graeme, the Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand & Marketing at SCB, said that their “Positive Living” programme is one of the key sustainability themes that Standard Chartered advocates globally, focusing on the education part where it is mandatory for new SCB staff members to undergo their HIV/AIDS training session, and then approach the external community.
Graeme added that SCB approaches other organisations and companies to share the programme with them for free; and is an active supporter of the efforts of the BDAC and the Ministry of Health.
The three groups hope to hold more dialogues on the issue, and conduct an evidence-based approach through a behaviour surveillance in order to improve the programme.
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