Sexual Health in Armenia Looking:” Life with Hiv Page 3
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“YOU CAN’T TELL BY SEXUAL HEALTH IN ARMENIA LOOKING:” LIFE WITH HIV PAGE 3 WHY NOT TALKING ABOUT SEX IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH PAGE 4 DECEMBER 2008 WHY YOU SHOULD GET STI TESTED BEFORE D i s t r i b u t e d i n c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h A r m e n i a n n e w s p a p e r s GETTING PREGNANT Aravot, Novoye Vremya, Noyan Tapan, Ban u gorts, Kamq+. Talin Askhkarh, Lusardzak, Vorotan, Syunyats Yerkir, PAGE 5 Vanadzoryan Khchankar, Sevan, Hingshabti, Shrjadardz, Tufashkharhi Arorya Cover Art by “This Month” Design Team “IE A RED On December 1, people wear red ribbons to show they have joined the fight against HIV and AIDS. RIBBON Go to www.worldaidsday.org to order free ribbons and find out more about the deadly virus. NEXT MONTH: The Armenian government is dramatically overhauling pensions, affecting not only the elderly, but anyone who is old enough to work. Find out how the changes affect you in our next issue, Pensions and You, out Feb. 1 2 SEXUAL HEALTH IN ARMENIA DECEMBER This publication is made possible through the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content does not necessarily reflect the views of IREX, the Primary Health Care Reform Project, USAID, or the US government. he most shocking affect the health of you, your partner, and even your unborn thing about HIV is children (pages 4-5). It’s true that Armenians traditionally don’t ²Ûë ÃáÕ³ñÏáõÙÁ Ñݳñ³íáñ ¿ ¹³ñÓ»É ²ØÜ T ÅáÕáíñ¹Ç` ²ØÜ ÙÇç³½·³ÛÇÝ ½³ñ·³óÙ³Ý not the stealth with talk about sex, but how much does the silence harm us and ·áñͳϳÉáõÃÛ³Ý ÙÇçÝáñ¹áõÃÛ³Ý ßÝáñÑÇí: which it slips into a those we love? ä³ñï³¹Çñ ã¿, áñ ÃáÕ³ñÏÙ³Ý μáí³Ý¹³ÏáõÃÛáõÝÝ ³ñï³óáÉÇ population or the horrif- Even if we want to talk about sex, it’s still an uncomfortable §²Úèºøê¦-Ç, ²éáÕçáõÃÛ³Ý ³é³çݳÛÇÝ ic way it kills. subject, and the question becomes how to broach it. Find out å³Ñå³ÝÙ³Ý μ³ñ»÷áËáõÙÝ»ñÇ Íñ³·ñÇ, ²ØÜ Ø¼¶ It’s the physical what some vocal Shirak women did to protect their sexual ϳ٠²ØÜ Ï³é³í³ñáõÃÛ³Ý ï»ë³Ï»ïÝ»ñÁ: beauty of the virus health (Page 4). It raises more questions: what should we be itself. teaching our children in school (Page 7)? In particular, what Managing Editor, Content: Leah Kohlenberg The latest micro- harm are we doing to our daughters by forcing them to be Armenian Editor: Gayane Abrahamyan scopic images made silent and ashamed of their sexual life, rather than teaching available to us by the them to take responsibility for their sexual health? (Page 6) Supplement Coordinator: Hermine Andreasyan world’s HIV scientists It is also important how we treat those people living with Medical Consultant: Dr. Karine Abelyan, NOVA show how the night- the disease. HIV is not an infection that stalks the “guilty.” mare for nearly 40 million people around the globe living with Read about how a traditional Armenian woman contracted Contributing Reporters Gayane Abrahamyan, Lena Nazaryan, Alla Ayvazyan, Gayane Sargsyan, HIV unfolds inside the body like an intricately woven lace pat- HIV, which took her child and changed her life forever Sara Khojoyan, Naira Bulghadaryan, tern. It also spreads through sex, something that should be (page 3). Ani Stepanyan, Christine Vardanyan, Karine beautiful, which is why we chose to show on our cover (see Lastly, we must examine the politics of HIV and sexual Hunanyan, Mane Grigoryan, Tatevik Sargsyan above phote) images of the virus imposed upon the profile of health. How is the Armenian government’s promotion of an Design Consultant: Ed Henninger a loving couple. Love is beautiful, and so, unfortunately is HIV. experimental, locally produced HIV treatment helping or hurt- Layout Design: Vahe Dionesyan This issue has been timed to be published on Dec. 1, in ing Armenians living with HIV? (See story below) Graphics: Levon Nikolyan, conjunction with World AIDS Day. Think that doesn’t have any- Liana Karakhanyan, Anna Satyan thing to do with you? There are an estimated 36,000 sexually HIV has changed the world, and it is changing Armenia, transmitted infections (STIs) amidst the population. Most of too. Let’s start an “information revolution” that spreads as Photography: Anahit Hayrapetyan the time, these infections are symptom-less and curable, but quickly as the HIV virus: by overcoming taboos, and talking Proofreader: Taguhi Susliyan that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous: read how STIs can about our sexual lives in a responsible way. îå³·ñí³Í ¿ §îÇ·ñ³Ý ػͦ Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛ³Ý ïå³ñ³ÝáõÙ: îå³ù³Ý³ÏÁ` 31000 Armenicum or nothing? Ten Years On, the So-Called “Miracle Cure” Still Unproven By Sara Khojoyan be treated with Armenicum, while the stan- Barseghyan said. “But as the HIV problem monitoring the 250 patients who have been and Leah Kohlenberg dard ARV regimen costs $1,700 per patient gets worse, it will be more difficult to bring treated with the drug in the past four years, Amnewsservice.org per year. The Armenian taxpayer paid enough drugs into the country.” though they contend “many” have lived for $300,000 to treat 50 Armenicum patients When Armenicum was first introduced ten years using the drug. For ten years, Armenians have been this year, while the Global Fund paid in Armenia ten years ago, founders called it “Armenicum is still experimental and we told about the wonders of Armenicum, the $160,000 to treat 93 patients with ARV a “revolutionary cure for AIDS,” and it are in the middle of the testing phase,” said locally produced formula whose makers drugs. In other words, it costs twice as immediately captured high-ranking govern- Ashot Melkonyan, head of the Armenicum claim it has curative powers over the dead- much to treat half as many Armenicum ment officials’ interest. Early on, initial pay- Clinical Center in Yerevan. “But when we ly HIV virus. patients. ments for Armenicum treatments came are ready, we will show the world what we And while doctors who use the drug say So far, the U.S.-funded Global Fund, from the Defense Ministry in an effort to have.” it does seem to relieve some of the symp- through the local World Vision Armenia promote the drug’s research and develop- Despite the lack of evidence supporting toms of HIV, after a decade the company office, has been paying for and procuring ment. Armenicum’s possibilities caused a Armenicum’s claims, the National Center has yet to produce any viable clinical trials ARV treatments. But technically, that buzz of excitement in the tiny country. for AIDS Prevention clinicians say they proving more substantive treatment claims. money ran out in June, and though the Businessmen, it was reported in some consider Melkonyan and the Armenicum What most Armenians probably don’t grant has been extended until February newspapers in 1999, were buying property doctors colleagues in the fight against HIV, know is that their tax dollars are paying for and the National Center for AIDS so that they could rent it to all the people and have supported anecdotal claims that Armenicum, which is more than triple the Prevention is currently applying for another who would fly to Armenia to take the cure. some of their patients have responded well cost of the world’s only proven treatment grant, this one for six years, there is no Yet a decade on, only about 800 people to the treatment. for HIV, Anti Retroviral (ARV) drugs. They guarantee that the Global Fund will contin- have actually taken Armenicum. “We are cooperating all the time, and probably also aren’t aware that in a few ue to fund future ARV treatments for newly Worldwide, the most effective treatment we always discuss every case to find a bet- months Armenicum may be the only choice revealed cases. for HIV are Anti Retroviral drugs, which in ter solution,” said Dr. Arshak Papoyan, available in Armenia for future HIV-infected “If the Global Fund does not finance internationally accepted clinical trials have head of the National Centre for AIDS people. Armenia again, the national HIV program been the only proven way to keep patients Prevention Epidemiology Unit. In Armenia, treating HIV positive will be in great jeopardy,” said Mark Kelly, alive, often for years. The drugs work by But it’s hard to find a doctor treating HIV patients shouldn’t be a major problem – World Vision Armenia’s National Director. directly attacking and reducing the amount patients who will be quoted publicly saying and on the surface, the system seems to be “Currently the Global Fund pays for the of HIV virus in the body, keeping the patient the drug doesn’t work, some say, because working. The HIV positive population is majority of testing and prevention pro- from developing Acquired Immunodeficiency the pressure for the Armenian-made drug small, with only 649 reported cases. Even grams, and all ARV treatments.” Syndrome (AIDS), a complete immune sys- to succeed is so high that criticism is con- including the estimated 3,000 unreported Compounding the problem, according tem failure which leads to death. The drugs, sidered unpatriotic. cases out there, they still make up a mere to World Vision Procurement Officer Mher offered in cocktails of three or four at a time, “I know many clinicians who don’t .01 percent of the total population.