Ping to keep an eye on...
By Amir Makar / Daily News Egypt March 15, 2012, 6:37 pm
“HIV is a phenomenon, not a disease,” said Kozman in his presentation, demonstrating that HIV sufferers in Egypt (whom he estimates to be at least 30,000) experience a trilogy of S’s: shame, stigma, and silence.
He warned of an impending catastrophe if no steps were made to increase awareness about STD’s and take proper measures to handle HIV spread.
Explaining the role played by Ashoka, Kozman said the organization taught him how to address the community, run an NGO, and particularly deal with the media and television.
The lattermost was extremely important. His NGO was “among the most attacked NGOs in Egypt … even more than those recently shutdown that advocated human rights,” especially when it came to revealing medical corruption and unjust treatment of HIV carriers.
Pregnant HIV carriers who went into labour, he continued, were referred to fever hospitals rather than ordinary delivery ones. Carriers were also rejected for treatment by ordinary doctors who feared the associated social stigma.
http://thedailynewsegypt.com/development/social-entrepreneurs-find-needed-guidance-at-ashoka.html
MA might not be far off target when she predicts Egypt as an early warning sign of HIV mutation.