The United Nations has lauded the Kingdom's efforts in fighting AIDS, which have reduced the number of cases, and classified the country as being among the countries with the lowest infection rate. The Kingdom now has less than one case for every 1,000 adults. In a letter to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeah, Minister of Health, Dr. Hind Al-Khateeb, the UN's Director for the AIDS Program for Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, expressed his admiration for the Kingdom's actions, including early detection of the disease, treatment and methods to prevent proliferation of the disease. She praised the Ministry of Health's “Riyadh Declaration” under which it unified all methods for fighting the disease in the GCC countries by expanding use of modern detection methods and following its development in specialized and advanced centers. In her letter, Dr. Al-Khateeb cited the importance of collaborative work to carry out preventive and therapeutic programs, especially in the areas of fighting the social stigma and segregation, and preserving AIDS patients' rights. She pointed out that there are an estimated 34 million people in the world with AIDS, 460,000 in the Eastern Mediterranean area and North Africa and since its discovery in 1981, 30 million people have died of AIDS. Dr. Al-Khateeb stressed the importance of the partnership between the UN effort and the Ministry of Health's work, which will help achieve goals. The UN official expressed the willingness and readiness of the international organization to support the Ministry of Health's efforts and those of the Kingdom's National Program for Combating AIDS, civil organizations and non-government volunteer organizations. Dr. Sana Filmban, Director of the National Program, said the group of people aged 19 to 45 is the most-affected group in the Kingdom. In 2010, 339 Saudis and 682 expatriates were found to have AIDS, she said. From 1981 to the end of last year, 4,458 Saudis and 11,876 expatriates have contracted AIDS, she added. The disease is primarily transmitted through sexual contact, though it can be passed from a mother to a fetus through contaminated injections and other means, Dr. Flimban said. — SG/SPA what causes AIDS? AIDS is caused by a virus called HIV. When HIV enters the blood streams a person may become infected with it. When this happens, a person is said to be HIV positive meaning that the presence of the virus has been detected within the body. But a person with HIV does not necessarily have AIDS. AIDS is the result of HIV infection, but many people with HIV positive are still healthy and have none of the health problems associated with AIDS. There are many ways of contracting AIDS. Here are some of the most common ways: Using a needle with infected blood (mainly used for drugs) Having any contact with infected blood or body fluids. The most common way of contracting AIDS is through sexual intercourse. __
