"Studies show that there has been an increase in the number of housewives with the HIV virus in the last one and a half years," said Simsek, who cited data from research, conducted by the Microbiology Department of Istanbul University and the Association for the Struggle Against AIDS (ASD). "Husbands were found to be the reason."
According to Simsek, the ASD has launched a two-year project, with financial support from the European Union, to train employees working in the healthcare sector in Istanbul.
She said that there is lack of information in Turkey about HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
"AIDS is a disease that can be treated, like diabetes," said Simsek. "The patients need constant use of medication. If treatment is not hindered, patients can live for up to 20-30 years."
Following is the transcript of bianet's interview with Simsek:
You stated in a previous interview that AIDS cannot be fully cured?
I don't want to be misunderstood. The disease cannot be fully cured but patients can live for long years as long as they protect their immune systems. To have the HIV virus is not the same as having AIDS. One can just be a porter, or have AIDS if that virus has caused a disease. The medication either postpones the disease, or prevents it.
What if a person has AIDS?
There are positive developments in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. With the continuous use of some medication people with HIV can live long, healthy lives. These medications are very expensive. If patients can pay $500-2,000 a month, they can live long, healthy lives.
In an interview you stated that a large number of housewives have AIDS?
Yes. Various studies show that in the last year and half, there has been an increase in the number of housewives who have AIDS. And this is because of their husbands. Turkish men get the virus from other partners and give it to their wives.
What's the situation with children?
There isn't concrete information about that. There is a high chance that babies with the virus die at a very young age. Children usually get AIDS from their mothers.
There are acclamations that an AIDS medication has been created in Armenia?
There are a number of ways to see if a medication can cure a disease. You can get the patent rights after a couple of trials.
One of my friends served as a test subject for that medication in Armenia. She's very well now.
You are talking about the Armenicum project. That person had the HIV virus but not AIDS. They are two different situations. For example, Rock Hudson died from AIDS but HIV virus did not show up in blood tests for a long time.
It's not enough for one person to say "I was cured." That medication needs to be tried on many test subjects.
Medication for AIDS, like the ones for Cancer lead to speculations. Do you think this is about them being cheap/expensive?
Some AIDS medications are manufactured in Brazil or India. Those are very cheap. The imitation of a medication that normally costs $1,500 can be found for $20. There are 60 million AIDS patients in the world. Countries with an annual income below a certain figure have been given the permission to manufacture imitation medication.
How many AIDS patients are there in Turkey?
According to formal figures there are about 1,900 people with AIDS in Turkey. But it's believed that the real figure is higher. The formal figure only includes people who have had tests or those who have applied to hospitals. (AD/EA/YE)
