CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Jean-V. Ngoubangoyi, Congo-Brazza, Sept. 1998
THEME = AIDS
The current economic and social crisis,
poverty, prostitution,
the mass exodus of citizens from the towns towards rural areas..
all these have contributed to the rapid advance of AIDS
in Congo-Brazza.
By means of awareness campaigns, some NGOs,
are doing their best to check this epidemic, but the results are
still somewhat modest
AIDS is rampaging through Congo-Brazza. Statistics issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1994, stated that more than 8,000 people in Congo-Brazza had the AIDS virus. (At that time, the country's population was about 2.5 million - of these, 100,000 were believed to be HIV-positive). Today, these figures are clearly increasing because of Congo-Brazza's internal crisis situation - especially the civil war which resulted in a mass exodus of citizens towards places where the HIV virus was almost unknown. Also, since Congo-Brazza's two civil wars, rape has become a common occurrence.
Epidemiological studies show that most infected people are in the 20-45 year age bracket. AIDS victims are found on a national level as follows: 30% in Pointe-Noire (very much an "oil city"); 15% in Brazzaville; 15% in Dolisie, Congo-Brazza's third most important town. The HIV virus is mostly found in the most heavily populated areas.
The present study brings to light a new fact: infection is most frequently found among young people, especially young women. In Pointe-Noire, the number of females between the ages of 15-25 who are HIV-positive, is twenty times higher than young men of the same age. Many reasons are given for this, beginning with the growing number of people migrating to the towns and cities, and the consequent breakup of traditional family life and culture. The fact is, very young girls get infected because they have sexual relations with older men already infected with the HIV virus - and all this to obtain material advantages. Congolese specialists who are members of the National Programme for the Fight against AIDS, say: "For many Congolese women, the major risk of infection by the AIDS virus lies in the sexual behaviour of their husband or habitual partner". They add that women who do stay with one partner, have little hope of being able to protect themselves against infection, when their partner doesn't make every effort to do likewise.
Until fairly recently, there was an enormous difference in the infection rate between people living in urban areas and those in rural areas (where three-quarters of Congo-Brazzaville's population live). Today, this difference tends to diminish because people are leaving the towns looking for work in the country. Having spent some time in the towns, the prostitutes make their way to Congo-Brazza's countryside. Many of these prostitutes have come to Congo-Brazza from neighbouring Congo RDC. Dr Matondo, a member of the Congolese Association for the Protection of the Family, says: "The epidemic's advance is joined to the high rate of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD)s among the population. In any small village, for example, there are very few women. As soon as one or another of the women are infected, the disease spreads rapidly". Statistics are now available which give cause for anxiety. These have been gathered from areas which, until now, seemed to have been spared the onslaught of this terrible disease; areas such as Owando (north Congo) with 1% of the population infected and Sibibity in the south-west with 11% infected. "Not very high", you may think, but considering there's a dense population in these areas, the specialists are extremely concerned.
Until now, heterosexual relations were the main causes of infection. However, when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus, we are rather sceptical regarding the efficacity of the measures taken by a number of Congolese non-governmental organisations. In 1996, the Cultural Council for Health and Education (CCES) funded by France's Department for Cooperation, set up kiosks in Brazzaville, for selling condoms. Facilities for counselling clients are also available at the same places. At first, the people were rather timid about the whole affair, but then began to make a mad dash towards the kiosks to buy condoms - which didn't make the proprietors of other outlets selling similar goods any too happy. Why? Because in the kiosks, condoms sell for 25 CFA francs - much cheaper than at pharmacies - which means the kiosks do a roaring trade. Obviously there's a need. This is in contrast to southern areas of Brazzaville, such as Bacongo, where the same initiative hasn't met with too warm a reception from the younger generation who use condoms less. Nobody seems to know the reasons for their reticence. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC) posted warning messages all over the capital, about possible dangers attached to the sexual act, with the intention of encouraging the use of condoms. The ICRC were optimistic about its success.
For a number of months, the Thomas Sankara Association has been conducting a campaign in the heavily populated areas of the city. The aim: To warn young people against non-protected sexual relations and its accompanying risks and effects such as: unwanted pregnancies, infection from STDs and AIDS. It's difficult to ascertain the campaign's results.
The situation is serious. AIDS has swept across Congo-Brazza and already has sent child mortality statistics sky high. Figures given for 1998 are devastating - 47.9% of children died from AIDS and it's estimated that Congo-Brazza's child mortality rates will triple between now and 2000. Young adults between the 25-45 age range are especially at risk.
Even more serious is the fact that a very small part of the nation's resources are given over to health care. Then there's the pharmaceutical multinationals who refuse to lower their price-policy, blocking all attempts to have a medical care strategy adapted to the needs of those infected with the HIV/AIDS virus.
Mr Hervé Bolot, France's ambassador to Congo-Brazza has announced that Congo-Brazza will receive financial help from French Aid and Cooperation (FAC) to the tune of one billion nine-hundred million CFA francs, to cover a health project over a three-year period. This will enable Congo-Brazza to fight against AIDS and a number of STDs. Mr Bolot says that the FAC Funding Committee approved the project, as part of the French-Congolese Cooperation agreement drawn up on 8 July 1998. The project will cover such areas as the fight against Tuberculosis and AIDS, and ensure that blood used in transfusions is not contaminated.
One particular problem is that patients who attend certain dispensaries in the capital such as that of Makélékelé, are obliged to have an AIDS test. This causes a number of patients to go to street dispensaries rather than to proper hospitals. Others simply refuse to undergo such medical tests because they're afraid of being told they're HIV-positive.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
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