- The West African Republic of Senegal has a population of 10 million 95 percent Muslim
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- and there are about 80000 cases of HIV-AIDS in the country.
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- It seems like a large number but in fact, at about 2 percent of the population,
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- it's very low in comparison to other countries.
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- And this percentage rate has not increased for the last ten years.
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- The United Nations recognises this success and has named Senegal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Uganda,
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- as countries which have done the most to fight HIV-AIDS.
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- How has Senegal achieved this?
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- The political stability of the country over the past few decades has been an important factor.
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- But what other things may have contributed to this success story?
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- There is no doubt that social and religious values are an important factor.
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- The Senegalese culture is traditional and religious belief is strong.
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- This means that there is less sexual activity outside of marriage than in many societies.
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- And many young people still believe in the traditional values of no sex before marriage
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- and being faithful to your husband or wife.
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- Many nations in the world have strong religious and social values,
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- but the Senegalese government decided early on that the subject of HIV-AIDS must be discussed openly.
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- Political, religious and community leaders could not treat it as a taboo subject.
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- This wasn't easy. Speaking openly about the use of condoms means accepting that people may have sex outside of marriage.
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- Religious leaders spoke about HIV-AIDS and condoms in the mosques.
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- They still talked about sexual abstinence and fidelity as the best way to avoid becoming infected,
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- but they also recommended condoms for those people who were not going to abstain from sex.
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- The National Plan to Fight HIV-AIDS was already in operation in 1987,
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- less than a year after the first cases were diagnosed in Senegal.
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- Its aim was information, education and prevention and it was the first such campaign in Africa.
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- A compulsory class was introduced into the national curriculum in schools.
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- Private companies were encouraged to hold classes for their workers.
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- The government gave the campaign strong support and a regular budget
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- and the religious leaders became strong supporters too.
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- Senegal has a long tradition of local community organisations
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- and there were marches and workshops all over the country.
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- High-risk groups such as sex workers, soldiers and lorry drivers were specially targeted.
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- Women were particularly important in this process.
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- Senegal recognised that women need more than education and condoms.
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- They need to have the economic and social power to say No to unprotected sex.
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- Many young, popular musicians also became involved in the campaign reaching young people all over the country.
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- Prostitution was legalised in Senegal in the 1960s.
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- Sex workers were registered and had to have regular medical check-ups.
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- Anyone who was suffering from a sexually transmitted disease was treated free of charge.
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- This system gave Senegal two big advantages in the war on HIV-AIDS.
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- Firstly, it wasn't too difficult to extend the system of testing and treatment to HIV-AIDS.
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- And secondly, the fact that sex workers were registered and known to the authorities
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- meant that it was easy to reach them with education programmes.
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- Many prostitutes themselves became involved in educating other women, and distributing free condoms.
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- Twenty years ago fewer than 1 million condoms were used in Senegal.
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- Now the figure is more than 10 million.
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- In 1970, Senegal began testing all the donated blood in its blood banks.
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- So, unlike many Western countries, infected blood transfusions never caused the spread of the virus.
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- Senegal has HIV-AIDS scientists who are known and respected all over the world.
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- Professor Souleymane Mboup, is a world-renowned AIDS researcher.
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- He is most famous for his work on documenting HIV2,
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- a strain of the AIDS virus which is common in West Africa.
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- Professor Mboup is in charge of his country's National AIDS Programme.
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- He co-ordinates the Convention of Research between Senegal and Harvard University in the United States.
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- He also works with the African AIDS Research Network.
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- So far so good, but Senegal itself knows that it still has a long way to go.
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- The biggest challenge is to hold on to what has already been achieved.
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- Many experts are afraid that this initial success will spread a false sense of security and people will become less careful.
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- One problem is that Senegal is a regional crossroads.
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- Many men go to work in neighbouring countries and return infected with the virus.
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- There is still a great deal of poverty in the country and many people cannot read or write.
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- HIV-AIDS grows well in these conditions.
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- Large numbers of prostitutes are working secretly without registration.
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- Many sex workers cannot afford to refuse customers who don't wear condoms.
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- And if women had more economic power they would not have to turn to prostitution to feed their families in the first place.
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- So Senegal must continue with the work.
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- And maybe we can all learn a little from what the country has achieved so far.
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