Community axwareness of HIV prevention increasing

HIV remains a social and cultural taboo in many cities, however, local residents have become more aware of this disease, leading to the increase in number of residents willing to take HIV tests.

Augusto Nogueira, president of Association of Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers of Macau (ARTM), said that more residents have become more concerned about their health.

“Over time [the sense of taboo] has changed and people [have started] to realize that HIV is just like any other chronic disease. People care more about their health and follow medications accordingly,” he told the Times.

To mark the 10th anniversary of its Needle Syringe Program (NSPs) on June 16, ARTM will be hosting a workshop, along with the Methadone Program of the Social Welfare Bureau, on the importance of the NSP program on June 15.

To be held at Clube Militar, two speakers from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS have been invited.

This program is a type of  ‘harm reduction’ initiative that provides access to sterile needles and syringe to reduce the transmission of HIV and other blood borne viruses from sharing injecting equipment.

“NSP’s program must continue and we need to continue working hard to maintain a low prevalence on HIV new infections and [ensure] zero sharing needles among injection drug users,” Nogueira remarked.

“One of the [foci] also is to keep a close look on the patients to see if they have other health issues that require our attention, and also to motivate them to go for treatments,” he added.

The president said that over 350 residents are listed in their system, and that it is providing services to around 40 to 50 residents per month.

Nogueira noted that the program also aims to inform affected residents about the consequences of sharing needles, noting that around 80 percent of its users return used syringes.

“This means that people are aware of the importance of returning the syringe back to use. We offer them some food and beverages to motivate them. […] It’s a matter of public health,” the president said.

“We also focus [on] other issues like hepatitis C and [encourage] them to care for their own hygiene, and [provide] some other materials to use to prevent HIV infection among some wounds that people can have,” Nogueira explained.

Figures from the Health Bureau show that HIV was detected in 15 patients in Macau from January to September 2017.

In 2016, 30 HIV cases were detected, of which 15 cases developed into AIDS.

Rapid test awareness was a significant factor in the decrease in HIV cases last year.