InterPress News Service (IPS); Wednesday, 24 September 1997.
Rae Cashif

"What is shocking for us at NAP (National Aids Programme) is the fact that the age group of 25 to 44, which is often referred to as the most productive and reproductive sector of our society, is the group most vulnerable to AIDS," says Dr. Jorge Polanco, director of NAP.

"This age group which represents a quarter of the country's population ... represents Belize's back-bone, which is the labour force. In essence, this age group is the force to prepare the country to the next millennium."

The Central American country's workforce now stands at 81,000. Of that number 41,000 are between 25 and 44 years. The total population now stands at just under 250,000.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing -- all labour intensive activities -- employ just under 32 percent of the working population. The agriculture sector accounts for 65 percent of export with 40 percent from sugar production. The other significant crops are bananas, citrus, fruit, rice and tobacco.

It therefore means that Belize must launch an all out war against the spread of the disease. This war will include education programmes which will show to teenagers the dangers of unsafe sex and also promote policies to prevent the transmission of the disease, health officials say.

"We need to tackle this problem at the very root...as a result, we at the National Aids Programme have been working with officials from the Education Ministry to incorporate into the (school) curriculum the issue of human sexuality and health education at the primary schools from Standard Four, and to all High Schools... This is vital to sensitise our young people at a very early age, in order to save them from this horrific disease," says Polanco.

NAP estimates that at present there are 2,000 persons carrying the HIV virus in the country. Since the virus was first detected here in 1986, 205 persons have died. Of those who have died 127 men and 54 women have been in the 25 to 44 age group.

Sixty-eight percent of those who died were reported to be heterosexuals, 15 percent bi-sexuals and 12 percent homosexuals The remainder contracted the disease through blood transfusions and in some cases mothers passed on the disease to their unborn children.

There are some 300 Aids orphans in the country.

"This is only one signal that a national effort is required by all communities in the country to work with government and all agencies to ensure that our people are fully educated at an early stage," says George Carr, coordinator of NAP.

"A national response is needed to confront the spreading of this disease in our society because of the enormous impact that it (has) on our social and economic sectors," says Polanco.

"The message has to go out clear on a bull-horn to every single Belizean on the dangers of AIDS as well as highlight the enormous burdens that will haunt the entire country with this disease...depleted health service, an escalation of orphaned children and citizens who will be non-productive...contributing nothing to the country's economic growth and development but instead putting a drain on our resources."

Polanco says the country needs to wake up to the fact that the problem of Aids is not just for the medical authorities.

"This hands-off attitude by society that Aids is strictly a medical problem needs to be addressed since the contributing factors which result in contracting the disease includes sexual exploitation, access to health services, child abuse and molestation, incest, sexually transmitted diseases, unemployment, migratory movements etc.," says Polanco.

Belize is currently ranked as having the second highest per capita rate of HIV infection in the Central American region, after Honduras. (end/ips/pr-he/sk/cb/97)

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