In her first interview after taking her new post, Dr. Sana Filimban, director general of the Ministry of Health's AIDS Program and supervisor general of its Immunity Department, said she would work to eliminate social stigmas relating to HIV patients and ensure that people who have the disease are not deprived of their rights. Dr. Filimban said another priority is to create mutual cooperation between government agencies and private organizations to correct society's view of HIV patients, spread health awareness among students and develop HIV patients' skills so they can earn a living. Filimban also stressed the importance of womens' roles in fighting the viral disease and ensuring that people are protected from it. She said according to the latest statistics, 1,287 people in the Kingdom, 481 of which are citizens, have contracted the disease during the last year. She said three percent contracted the disease their from mothers, two percent from contaminated injections and 95 percent because of illicit sexual relations.
