AUGUST 2005 – Officials from Iraq's Ministry of Health recently participated in an HIV counseling and testing workshop in Amman, Jordan, conducted by the Implementing AIDS Prevention and Care (IMPACT) Project. The workshop was one of several activities scheduled during a week-long study tour sponsored by Jordan's National AIDS Programme and UNICEF Iraq to share lessons learned in developing basic HIV/AIDS services and national strategic plans.

The workshop, which took place from August 20 to 22, was part of the ongoing expansion of counseling and testing services in Jordan funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, with technical support from IMPACT. IMPACT is managed by Family Health International. Iraqi participants included physicians, public health experts, program specialists and health workers from key Ministry offices, including the AIDS and STI programs, the national AIDS referral lab and the counseling education section.

During the study tour, the Iraqis visited the offices of Jordan's National AIDS Programme to discuss the critical elements of an effective national response to HIV. The Iraqis also toured the Amman Hotline and Counseling Center and the city's central laboratories and blood bank services, conferring with Jordanian staff at each facility.  In addition to skills building and information exchange, the study tour helped build invaluable links between Jordanian AIDS program staff and their colleagues in Iraq.

This collaborative support comes at a critical time for Iraq. According to Iraq's National AIDS Programs' Draft Strategic Plan, most facilities and infrastructure involved in HIV prevention efforts before 2003 have since been damaged or destroyed by the ongoing war. With funds from the World Health Organization, 17 centers have reopened, offering counseling as well as free medical care and social services for people living with HIV. As of December 2004, 448 cases of HIV infection had been reported in Iraq, and while prevalence remains low, the chief mode of transmission has changed from contaminated blood products to sexual contact.

While the draft plan enumerates ambitious goals – reduce STI prevalence by 25 percent by 2008, maintain Iraq's low HIV prevalence with strong response capacity – the National AIDS Programme continues to grapple with severe problems. There are almost no baseline data available about HIV or STIs within Iraq. Few trained health workers are available to staff clinics or prevention programs. Educational materials for the public are practically nonexistent. Security concerns affect transportation and conference planning, making it difficult to provide services, conduct monitoring and evaluation, and plan large-scale meetings.

"In a situation of continuing conflict, with so many pressing health and security emergencies, it is extremely encouraging to see the Iraqi authorities respond to an issue that has never received sufficient attention in the region," said Basma Khraisat, Family Health International's country director in Jordan. "Building bridges with AIDS programs in neighboring countries such as Jordan can only help the Iraqis continue to address HIV now and prevent an epidemic later."

FHI's office in Jordan provides technical assistance to Jordan and increasingly to other countries in the Middle East. FHI staff in Jordan continually seek ways to develop links with other partners, including United Nations agencies, to help build Iraq's post-war capability to respond to HIV. IMPACT is funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the U.S. Agency for International Development.  

                                                              — Margaret Dadian

Photo: The workshop brought Jordanian and Iraqi health experts together to discuss HIV counseling and testing. (FHI/Jordan)