At a symposium on Sunday at King Fahd Hospital regarding AIDS and HIV revealed that Saudi Arabia registered 1,287 new cases of the infection in 2009, putting the total cases at 15,213, of which 4,019 are Saudis.
The new cases included 481 Saudis and 806 foreigners who were deported after being diagnosed as HIV positive. The title of the symposium was “Towards Equal Rights With AIDS Patients.”
According to the symposium, sexual contact was responsible for 95 precent of the HIV cases among Saudi men. There were 14 cases of in utero transfer of the virus from mothers to their babies. 11 Saudis got AIDS from sharing needles with infected users.
The event was organized by the Department of Primary Health and Preventive Medicine in Jeddah. Assistant Director of Health Affairs for Primary Health Care and Preventive Medicine Dr. Nuha bint Ahmad Dashshash participated in the symposium along with a number of health officials and specialists.
Dr. Batul Ali, consultant in contagious diseases and AIDS treatment, delivered a lecture on preventive measures. Dr. Mutassim Muhammad, a specialist in tropical diseases, delivered a lecture on health care for AIDS patients.
MD HUMAIDAN
Arab News