Boosting HIV/AIDS awareness among soldiers

Efforts to raise the awareness of thousands of Tajik military personnel over the risks of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are continuing under a joint programme by the Tajik Ministry of Defence and the US government. "I didn't know a great deal about HIV/AIDS before. Now I have a better understanding of the risk factors involved, particularly with regard to STDs," Sergeant Bahriddin Negmatov, who just months away from completing his national service received a half days training on HIV prevention, told IRIN outside the Tajik Central Military Hospital in the capital, Dushanbe. Private first class Farhod Asadoulloev agrees. "I'm not sexually active, but in the future I will definitely use a condom," the 20-year-old from the Rudaki district outside Dushanbe told IRIN confidently. The two men are part of an ambitious effort to educate some 16,000 officers and soldiers in the Tajik armed services by September about the causes of HIV/AIDS and STDs and preventative measures available to fight their spread. Although the Defence HIV/AIDS Prevention Programme has successfully educated armed forces in other Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, this is the first programme of its kind in mountainous Tajikistan. As part of the initial training, a group of peer-to-peer educators was produced to act as core trainers at the Ministry of Defence. Additionally, a survey of 1,000 members of the military has been undertaken to determine their sexual activity and level of knowledge. "Knowledge is the greatest weapon in the fight," remarked US Ambassador Richard Hoagland to Tajikistan at the launch of the programme in March. "The challenge is great, but with strong leadership from the Government of Tajikistan, including the Minister of Defence, incidents of HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted infections can be decreased." Although there are no exact details on the number of HIV infected people in Tajikistan today, according to the country's Republican AIDS centre, since the first two cases were registered in 1991, 228 people have been officially registered as being infected with the disease, 109 of them in the first four months of 2004 alone. Of this number, 182 are men. But health officials say the numbers are much higher - between 3,000 and 5,000 - indicating a far more serious problem than generally perceived. "Intravenous drug use remains the main source of HIV infection in Tajikistan, accounting for 65.8 percent of all cases," Azamdjon Mirzoev, director of the centre, told IRIN, followed by sexual transmission (6.6 percent) and blood transfusions (2.2 percent). As for the remaining 25.4 percent, those were listed as unidentified, the government health official added. It is precisely that question which makes the issue of HIV awareness in the former Soviet republic all the more important. Colonel Dr Garibsho Sufishoyev, head of the HIV/STD prevention programme for the Tajik armed forces, described the level of awareness in the country as poor. "Before this programme began, even us medical personnel had very superficial knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention," he told IRIN, describing the army as a particularly vulnerable group to infection.

Parvina Fatikhudinova and Ilkhom Sirojev have divergent views on the dimension of the problem

"The soldiers are young. They have no wives or family and are sexually active," Sufishoyev explained, noting how their programme would benefit the men once they returned to civilian life. As part of the programme, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has provided 260,000 condoms for confidential distribution amongst the officers and soldiers for the first six months, and will provide more if necessary. "I was surprised how popular the condoms were," Sufishoyev said. "Condom usage is not particularly prevalent in Tajik society. We didn't expect such huge demand." But according to Anorgoul Naimova, responsible for condom distribution throughout the country: "Tajik soldiers are like soldiers all over the world - they are sexually active," the Tajik woman explained. Meanwhile, HIV awareness remains a civilian concern as well. Standing outside the law faculty of Tajikistan's National University in Dushanbe, Parvina Fatikhudinova and Ilkhom Sirojev present a picture perfect couple. The two 22-year-olds will soon marry, but have divergent views on the issue of HIV/AIDS. "Premarital sex is forbidden in our culture," Parvina told IRIN sheepishly, looking to her fiancé for agreement. "We are a conservative society and such things are simply not allowed." Her demure girlish expression quickly shatters, however, when her future husband responds. "Some of my friends are sexually active, but not with their future wives," he told IRIN, revealing yet again, how important HIV/AIDS awareness actually is. "Most people are not aware of the risks," he explained.