US embassy cable - 03RANGOON1564

UNCLAS RANGOON 001564 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, TBIO, EAID, PHUM, PREL, SOCI, BM, NGO, Human Rights 
SUBJECT: WORLD AIDS DAY IN BURMA 
 
REF: RANGOON 1489 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  The GOB, close on the heels of its 
well-attended HIV/AIDS Exposition (reftel), on World AIDS Day 
held ceremonies and HIV/AIDS activities in Rangoon and other 
cities.  According to two government-controlled weeklies, the 
GOB ranks HIV/AIDS as the number three national health 
concern.  UNAIDS Country Coordinator expressed concerned that 
the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Burma is not given enough 
attention.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  The Ministry of Health held an indoor ceremony on 
December 1 in Rangoon attended by UN agencies' staffs, INGOs, 
local NGOs, diplomats, and several hundred Ministry of Health 
civil servants.  The Ministry also held World AIDS Day 
ceremonies and awareness activities in other cities around 
the country.  The Deputy Minister of Health told the audience 
that Burma's strong cultural values have contributed to 
preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, and also help in the care 
of those infected, adding that the "kind-hearted nature of 
the Burmese contributed to the care and support of PLWHA." 
The PM's wife, Dr. Daw Kin Win Shwe, also attended as the 
Head of the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association. 
 
3.  According to the UNAIDS Myanmar Country Coordinator the 
HIV infection rate is now 2.4 percent for the general Burmese 
population.  Using the Ministry of Health's HIV/AIDS data 
from testing army recruits (2 percent infection rate), blood 
donors (1.23 percent), and mothers giving birth (2.8 
percent), UNAIDS puts the infection rate for the general 
population above the 2 percent "epidemic" threshold.  Though 
the GOB figures are considered reliable, UNAIDS notes that 
because IV drug users are not counted, and the country's 
total population is unknown, and that since many expecting 
mothers don't use hospitals, finding a solid figure for 
infection rate is a bit of a red herring.  He felt instead 
that the focus should be on the HIV/AIDS incidence rate. 
 
4.  To coincide with World AIDS Day, the GOB-controlled 
weekly, "The Myanmar Times" cited HIV/AIDS as third among 
Burma's national health concerns after malaria and 
tuberculosis.  The article states that "statistics from the 
National Blood Center in Yangon show that about one percent 
of the blood donors have HIV," that two thirds of the 
registered injection drug users have HIV, and that the GOB is 
promoting condom use to prevent heterosexual transmission. 
The GOB is also cooperating with the UN to "tackle the 
problem of illicit drug use and HIV infection." 
 
5.  COMMENT:  The Rangoon ceremony, held entirely in English, 
and the rather candid article in the "Times" (which is read 
only by the expatriate community), appeared to be mostly 
window dressing designed specifically for foreign 
consumption.  The message to the UN, to foreign donors, and 
to the NGOs, is that the GOB is concerned about the HIV/AIDS 
problem in Burma, has taken steps to address the problem, and 
any assistance in fighting HIV/AIDS in Burma is welcome. 
Health care spending, however, tells a different story.  In 
2002 the GOB spent a paltry 14.2 cents per person on basic 
health care.  END COMMENT. 
Martinez