In Iran, AIDS is a highly visible health and social issue that is often discussed with reluctance in the media. Although this disease can be transmitted in various ways, public perception is mainly focused on transmission through sexual behaviors. As soon as someone is diagnosed with AIDS, they are often shunned by their community and even fired from their jobs. In some cases, their own family members may also treat them poorly.

For years, there have been discussions and debates about the causes and circumstances of contracting this disease, but every now and then, the announcement of statistics on the number of people affected by this disease in Iran leads to heated discussions that quickly die down. However, the core issue remains untouched and it is only the government’s resources that can still provide support for those affected by this disease.

Abbas Sadeghat, the head of the AIDS Prevention Department at the Ministry of Health, warned in an interview with ISNA about the resurgence of a second wave of HIV infections among injection drug users. He cited lack of funding for the implementation of the program known as “Reducing Harm in Prisons” as the reason for this issue and announced that in the past decade, the successful implementation of this program in prisons has reduced the number of AIDS cases among prisoners by 44.0% to 7.1% currently. He also emphasized that based on past success, we should not be complacent and allow a second wave of HIV spread among prisoners through injection drug use.

The first reported case of a person with AIDS in 1366 SH (1987 AD) was a six-year-old child with hemophilia who became infected with the disease through contaminated blood products. Until now, according to official statistics, 2% of the Iranian population, which is slightly more than 22,000 people, have been affected by this disease and 3409 of them have died. Authorities and the media have always paid attention to the number of infected people. At first, government officials denied the existence of AIDS. As mentioned, the mode of transmission of this disease was seen as a challenge to the morals of society. This way of thinking has continued to this day. Therefore, information is provided to educate people about ways to prevent this disease. However, as the number of patients gradually increased, Iranian health authorities began to report statistics on the number of people affected by this disease. Despite this, according to independent experts and statistics from the World Health Organization, the best-case scenario

If you add to this matter the sexual relationships that these individuals have with their spouses and on the other hand, the children who will be born from these mothers, then you will realize how high the potential for this disease is in Iranian society. Moreover, most of these individuals are from lower social classes and have low levels of literacy, and do not have adequate access to health facilities and mass media.

The final point about budget allocation is regarding activities that focus on providing medical care for patients and preventive measures and public awareness. According to Dr. Minoo Mohraz, head of the Iranian AIDS Research Center, in an interview with Mardomsalari newspaper, all outpatient and healthcare services for AIDS patients are currently free, and the IMOD medication, which is produced domestically, is also available for free. However, in terms of prevention, the situation is not very promising. Although the Tehran Municipality has placed free needle vending machines in areas where drug addicts gather, and needles are also provided for free in prisons, Ms. Mohraz believes that there is not enough progress and medical measures being taken to prevent the transmission of the disease from mother to fetus. She also expresses dissatisfaction with the way education and awareness are being provided among adolescents and young adults.

In the end, it must be said that in Iran, there is a term among government officials called “becoming media”; in explaining this term, it must be said that whenever a responsible person in their field faces a difficulty or a major problem, they share that problem with the mass media so that the pressure of public opinion will cause higher-level managers to take action and address the problem outside of their usual routines. The interview of Abbas Sadeqat with ISNA is also an example of “becoming media”, a problem that has been forgotten in the chaos of political struggles, a problem that for years was dealt with by limiting it to addicted prisoners, but now the permanent solution is not available. But the question is, why is the ability of social benefactors, both individually and in the form of people’s organizations, ignored in such cases?