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Claudia's visit to Bangladesh positive |
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July 13, 2000
Dhaka (UNB) - Young Bangladeshis lack the knowledge of how to protect themselves from HIV-AIDS virus, reveals Unicef calling it a "dangerous lack of knowledge". "As high as 96 percent girls and 88 percent boys are ignorant of how to protect themselves against this disease," Prof. M Amanullah, State Minister of Health and Family Welfare, said quoting UNICEF's "The Progress of Nations 2000" report released here yesterday (Wednesday). Although the prevalence rate in Bangladesh is still low at 0.01 per cent, special attention is needed to ensure that the rates remain low, he said while launching the report. UNICEF representative in Bangladesh Shahida Azfar said girls, according to a survey conducted in 34 districts recently, do not think that healthy and normal-looking people can contract HIV. "Ignorance is the most dangerous breeding ground for risk. And, Bangladesh cannot afford to take any chances," she told the launching ceremony. The Progress of Nations 2000, UNICEF's annual flagship publication, was launched here on the same day as the global launch in Durban, Geneva, New York, and many other locations around the world. The report estimated the prevalence rate at 0.01 per cent. Some 840 young women and 1,600 young men have so far been infected in Bangladesh for the age group of 15-24, it said. In Bangladesh, 55 percent of children under the age of five are stunted. "This is the fourth highest rate in the world after Ethiopia, North Korea and Cambodia." The report said Bangladesh is among the eight countries where two-thirds of children, who develop acute respiratory infection, do not get treatment and often die. "But on a positive note, Bangladesh has made impressive gains in salt iodization coverage, reducing the prevalence and mental retardation to less than half in six years from 1993 to 1999." Ms Claudia Schiffer, special representative of the US Fund for UNICEF, described her experience of seeing the development programs in Bangladesh as a positive one. "Despite all efforts in Bangladesh, more than 1 million children around one year of age do not receive all required vaccines at the appropriate time. I intend to advocate for more resources to be made available for immunization programmes in my work with UNICEF," she said. Chairman of the Joint government-UNICEF Advisory Group Dr Shah Mohammad Farid presided over the function, also addressed by Information secretary M Akmal Hossain and UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Jorgen Lissner. |