The 3rd Reproductive Health Exhibition and HIV / AIDS Awareness Symposium, organized with the contributions of the Midwifery Department of Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, took place with the participation of experts in the field to explain the misconceptions about AIDS and HIV viruses. At the symposium, where it was highlighted that prejudice and stereotypes are serious problems in these diseases, it was emphasized that individuals should not neglect basic precautions.
The opening speeches of the symposium, held at Üsküdar University NP Health Campus, were delivered by Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete, Head of the Midwifery Department of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The symposium was moderated by Lecturer Didem Kurap Öcebe.
Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete: “Misinformation about AIDS and HIV continues today”
In her speech, Prof. Dr. Güler Cimete, Head of the Midwifery Department of Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, stated that there are courses on these subjects within the Midwifery department and that information is acquired. Cimete said; “We traditionally celebrate AIDS day. Specifically, misinformation about AIDS and HIV continues today. Even with films, we continue to reflect this and misinform society. In this context, we find this event very valuable. While celebrating our day, we provide information that constitutes an important part of sexual health education, especially with the reproductive organs seen in our exhibition and also with verbal information. We have been carrying out each of these events with the Turkish Family Planning Foundation from the very beginning, and we thank them very much.”
Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin: “We must not neglect basic precautions”
Prof. Dr. Arif Aktuğ Ertekin, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Üsküdar University, emphasized that AIDS can be transmitted not only sexually but also through blood, highlighting the need for doctors to be careful. Ertekin said; “When AIDS first began to emerge, Africa was one of the leading countries in the world. Access to health is the lowest, income levels are the lowest, and starvation deaths are the highest there. Afterwards, in the 1980s, HIV began to appear in America. By 2000, approximately 20 million people had died from AIDS. This is a high rate, about a quarter of our country's population. Later, with awareness and medical approaches, the numbers decreased, but people are still affected at quite high rates. The biggest characteristic of AIDS is that it is preventable. Meaningful and meaningless information, generally suggesting it is always sexually transmitted, has been produced. What is important here is to know that it is not only sexually transmitted but also transmitted from mother to child, and especially in professions like ours, it is transmitted through blood. Many doctors are in the risk group. As long as we do this profession, we will carry this risk, but we must not neglect basic precautions.”
Nurcan Müftüoğlu: “Prejudices are a serious social problem…”
Nurcan Müftüoğlu, a member of the Turkish Family Planning (TAP) Foundation, spoke about sexual health in her presentation titled ‘Safe Sexuality from a Healthcare Professional's Perspective’. Müftüoğlu said; “What we need to talk about today and what we need to know at this event is that these diseases are treatable infections. However, the meaning, prejudices, and stereotypes that come with it make us experience this as a serious social problem and health problem. Therefore, even if we are at a better point medically, this social perception and environment continue to affect this process. Another point that draws our attention is that one-third of people infected with the HIV virus are young people. Turkey is among the countries that cannot effectively manage this process. We are facing a very rapid increase rate. The reason for the lack of progress is that the country is a victim of stigmatization in this regard. Unfortunately, Turkey cannot manage this process because of this. We know that it is predominantly in the male group. The main problem area in Turkey is diagnosis.”
Önder Bora: “We aim to inform everyone”
Önder Bora, a member of the Pozitifiz Association, in his presentation titled ‘How Well Do We Know HIV?’, said; “We aim to inform not only individuals living with HIV but also their spouses, families, peers, and everyone. There are common misconceptions from many years ago that have never been updated, such as it being fatal or a disease of homosexuals. If people in this risk group within society are not knowledgeable about this, they do not take the necessary protective measures. HIV is a human immunodeficiency virus. It targets immune system cells. After entering the body, it settles in immune cells within 72 hours and begins to reproduce there. Today, it has a treatment, and it can be easily suppressed. If this virus is not suppressed, the immune system collapses over the years, and we see other infections begin. That is what we call AIDS. Therefore, AIDS is not a disease, a germ, or a virus. AIDS is the name of the condition that arises if the formation of HIV is not prevented.”
The symposium concluded after a group photo session, and participants visited the Reproductive Health exhibition.
Reproductive Health exhibition opened by Midwifery Department students
Within the scope of the symposium, a Reproductive Health exhibition was opened by Midwifery Department students on the ground floor of Üsküdar University NP Health Campus.
The midwifery students responsible for the exhibition state that with the counseling and education services they provide, they aim to break the belief among individuals in our society that every HIV positive person will develop AIDS, and that the HIV virus will be transmitted to them through hugging, shaking hands, or sharing the same meal with an HIV-positive individual.
