two years
The Director General of Health Affairs in Riyadh, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Dakhil, revealed the registration of about 500 AIDS cases in the region during the past two years (2005-2006 AD), the number of Saudis including 124 cases.
This came during a speech yesterday at the celebration of health affairs in Riyadh, World AIDS Day under the slogan "Together to prevent and treat AIDS and provide care for all" which was held at the King Saud Hospital for Chest Diseases and sponsored by the Kingdom Hospital.
Dr. Al-Dakhil explained that his medical department intends to establish a clinic for voluntary testing and counseling for AIDS patients in one of the reference hospitals in the region, aimed at early detection of the disease and reducing the stigma attached to it, and it will provide qualified social workers.
Dr. Al-Dakhil said, "Riyadh health seeks the cooperation of society and all its various health institutions and related parties to adhere to the measures of prevention, control and treatment through educational programs carried out by hospitals and primary health care centers in the region, hoping that this will help reduce the incidence of this incurable disease and shorten the duration Treatment and raising the rate of recovery for those who can be infected with God. For his part, Director of Preventive Programs for Tuberculosis and AIDS at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Riyad Al-Khalif said that the establishment of the national program to combat AIDS since 1984 has contributed greatly to reducing the spread of HIV infection and caring for its victims and works to achieve Several goals, the most important of which are early detection of HIV cases, taking preventive measures towards the infected and those with contact with them, and providing full health care for the infected and their families.
And Dr. Al-Khulaif indicated that this year''s awareness campaign aims to mobilize the determination of all society groups and its various institutions to contribute to providing preventive and curative programs and the necessary care for those in need, pointing out that the Ministry of Health conducts surveillance and medical surveys for groups most vulnerable to contracting the disease on a continuous basis, and foreign expatriate workers are also examined To work in the Kingdom to ensure that she is free from illness before being granted regular residence.
To that, the director of King Saud Hospital for Chest Diseases in Riyadh, Dr. Saeed bin Rashid Al-Zahrani, confirmed that more than 40 million people are infected with HIV around the world, noting that there is a strong association between tuberculosis and AIDS patients, explaining that about a third of AIDS patients in the world have tuberculosis.
At the end of the celebration, the Director of Riyadh Health honored the lecturers and organizers of the events, and honored the Kingdom Hospital for taking care of this year''s World AIDS Day.
