HIV/AIDS Education across Cuba

Cuba fulfilled the 2005 World AIDS Day’s promise to fight AIDS with a week of educational activities organized by the national team for the management and fight against HIV/AIDS. This multidisciplinary team - GOPELS according to its Spanish acronym - comprises major ministries, media and civil groups.
The main thrust for December 2005 was to “educate, educate and educate,” said Dr. Rosaida Ochoa, Director of Cuba’s National Center for Prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS. “We are trying to work on the relationship between individuals and their communities,” explained Ochoa, a designer of the prevention strategy contributing to Cuba’s low prevalence rate, which is rising but is still less than 10% of the Caribbean rate of 1.6% as cited by UNAIDS (2005).
Dr. José Juanes, member of GOPELS, explained in an organizational meeting for World AIDS Day, that Cuba has screened for the disease since 1986, testing all blood donors, pregnant women and those requesting anonymous HIV tests. Dr. Juanes also cited the importance of universal free access to antiretroviral therapy here for those needing it. He said that to date in Cuba there have been 6,682 cases of HIV, with 2,784 developing into AIDS and a total of 1,314 deaths. Males are still the predominant carriers of the disease here, at 80.4% percent of cases; of those, 85% are men who have sex with men.
Community Education Health promoter Zulima Fis On the eve of World AIDS Day the agenda was packed, with some street work highlighting prevention in downtown Havana carried out by young health promoters, which was boosted to a full-fledged campaign all over the country the next day. Trained youth sat at information tables or stood with boxes of condoms and leaflets, educating passersby about the most effective ways to prevent the disease.These volunteers had participated in workshops on sensitivity training, group dynamics, face-to-face consulting and telephone techniques for their 24-hour AIDS hotline, in place all over the country. Promoter Zulima Fis, involved with the project for two years said, “all our community prevention tours in the AIDS van have been well received, and I hope people use the condoms.” In Cuba, when they’re not being given out free like today, condoms only cost five cents apiece.

International and Homegrown Initiatives

World AIDS Day has been celebrated in Cuba since 1988 when the World Health Organization first declared it in London, and international cooperation has been decisive at various moments in Cuban AIDS history. Current and past collaborators include UNDP, UNESCO and UNAIDS, as well as NGO’s like Doctors Without Borders, Hivos and Population Services International. Nevertheless, many initiatives are homegrown now, with Cuba producing generic antiretrovirals since 2001, and HIV/AIDS prevention centers and related offices, hotlines, promoters and events all over the country. A couple of days later, the Hope Awards for prevention, mutual support and solidarity were given at Cuba’s National Theater, with performances by visual artists, musicians, dancers and actors. Lianett Rodríguez and Mardelis Martínez, a duo from the internationally renowned troupe Danza Contemporanea, told MEDICC Review their choreography was designed to help “raise consciousness and support self esteem.” They explained how both are particularly important to people with HIV, who “suffer from rejection by uninformed people,” and that their mission is to “give AIDS a face.”
Daniel Vila, Coordinator of the Amigos del Este HIV/AIDS support group, told MEDICC Review that he had unprotected sex with a woman one night eight years ago and contracted the HIV virus. When his test came out positive he said he felt the world was falling apart and was thankful a psychologist was there to help him learn how to cope.“It took me a long time to assimilate,” he said, “and at first I ran around trying to finish as many things as possible.”
That is what is called the “elaboration of grief,” he explained, now well-versed in the language of catharsis and an international speaker on the Cuban experience. There are 31 self-help groups in Havana and 79 in Cuba, and he said there is a palpable commitment from the government to actively fight and inform about AIDS.
“Without that, words fade off into inaction,” he said, “everyone has a particular situation but at least national policy supports us, and we all have our meds.” As Daniel walked off the risers at Havana’s National Theater, MEDICC Review asked when was his best moment during almost a decade of HIV infection.
Without skipping a beat the award winner said: “Today.”

MEDICC Review March/April 2006