Following is the text of the WHO press release:

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Afghanistan Health Update

9 June 2002

A technical working group composed of the Afghan Ministry of Public Health and other ministries, UN agencies and NGOs has been established to design a strategy to control the potential spread of HIV and AIDS in Afghanistan.

Little is known about HIV and AIDS in Afghanistan. Although there have been a limited number of reported cases of HIV infections in certain parts of the country, there is no reliable data on how many people in Afghanistan may be infected with the HIV virus.

A first rapid HIV Situation Assessment, funded by WHO, should provide an estimate of the prevalence of HIV in the general population, and among various risk groups. The survey will also aim to find out more about the existence of risk behaviors in Afghanistan that might fuel rapid spread of HIV. It will also examine attitudes and knowledge about AIDS amongst the general population, to provide a basis for a well-targeted prevention campaign.

Currently, the major risks in Afghanistan are considered to be intravenous drug use, and unsafe blood transfusions.

Afghanistan is one of the world's largest producers of opium. Opium and heroin abuse appear to be more severe in areas where those drugs are produced. Neighboring Uzbekistan, Tajikstan and China have each reported outbreaks of HIV among intravenous drugs users. In Pakistan alone there are an estimated 500,000 heroin dependent persons, of whom 60,000 are injecting drug users. A prevalence of 80% of Hepatitis C among intravenous drug users has been reported in Pakistan, clearly pointing to HIV vulnerability among this group. There is currently no data on the number of Afghans who inject drugs.

The poor state of blood transfusion facilities throughout the country is of primary concern in the control of the spread of AIDS. An estimated half of the country's 44 hospitals that perform surgery do not systematically test the blood for HIV before transfusions. Although WHO and other agencies are working to provide laboratory equipment and training to hospital staff, the safety of blood transfusions cannot yet be guaranteed in Afghanistan.

In addition, refugees and internal displaced persons are particularly vulnerable to HIV for various reasons, including exposure to sexual abuse, violence, and lack of access to information and education. Over 5 million Afghans have been living as refugees or displaced persons in the past decade, with over two million of those refugees living in Pakistan. There are an estimated 100, 000 people in Pakistan infected with the AIDS virus.

These risk factors in Afghanistan lead health officials to warn of the need for early interventions to prevent a potentially rapid spread of HIV in Afghanistan. Experience has shown that in many war affected countries HIV can rise within a very short time. Every day, 14,000 people around the world are infected with the deadly virus. Forty million people are living with HIV or AIDS, and about a third of them are between 15 and 24 years of age.

Following the initial assessment, an action plan for immediate, short-term and long-term prevention will be recommended to the task force. The plan is likely to focus on implementing prevention measures in health facilities, increased community awareness and nation-wide HIV-AIDS surveillance.