500 children will be holding the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) bags carrying the theme “Low Prevalence does not mean we are safe from HIV/AIDS”.

The main aim of the campaign is to break the silence around HIV/AIDS in a region that has more than 550,000 HIV/AIDS cases until 2002 and around 83,000 new infections in 2002. In spite the fact that the prevalence rate is still low (0.03%) at the regional level, yet the general pattern shows an increase in the number of cases, which requires an immediate response in order to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The Epidemiological Situation of HIV/AIDS in Jordan according to the latest available HIV/AIDS statistics of cumulative total number of all HIV/AIDS cases detected as reported to the National AIDS Programme (NAP) is 335 cases of which 132 are Jordanian nationals and 203 from other nationalities with 70% males and 30% females. The highest incidence is among the age group 30-39 (35.8%) followed by the age group 20-29 (31.9%). However, available figures do not reflect the actual situation of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country.

In Jordan there is a strong political commitment regarding HIV/AIDS prevention strategy exhibited by the government. There are efforts to keep the prevalence of infection at its current level and to decrease it. Jordan adopted the global goals in terms of prevention, with emphasis on issues against discrimination and stigma. At the national level, HIV/AIDS is regulated in accordance with the Public Health Law of 1972 (recently amended in 2002). A special curative committee is established to follow up on patients and their needs. In addition, there is a special team assigned to the central Public Governmental Hospital (AL Bashir) to care for patients. In addition, as of 1999, the Ministry of Health has been offering free treatment with triple therapy and thus allocates the needed budget for purchasing these drugs for AIDS patients estimated at JD10,000 annually.

HIV/AIDS is a threat to development as it requires an unprecedented and extraordinary response, and it affects every aspect of human life and national economies. It is fuelled and aggravated by deep-rooted socio-economic inequities; including gender inequality, social marginalization, lack of access to information and services and denial of rights. The epidemic kills people in their most productive age denying nations of their labor force and countries that fail to control it fall into a vicious cycle which in turn increases society’s vulnerability to the epidemic.

Now more than ever, there is a great need to translate and expand local and national successes into an international response. The increased political commitment as well as public opinion in several countries is worth noting. This was largely due to persistent efforts by media, civil society, international organizations as well as aid donors and HIV positive groups.

UNAIDS is the main advocate for global action on the epidemic. It leads, strengthens, supports an expanded response aimed at preventing the transmission of HIV, providing care and support, reducing the vulnerability of individuals and communities to HIV/AIDS, and alleviating the impact of the epidemic.