Comments on The Muscatis: AIDS, anyone?

hello, I am reading your blog and am so fascinated...

2008-11-23T18:12:00.000+04:00

hello, I am reading your blog and am so fascinated with it and with you.

I am a man living in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Your blog has so much information in it. Your AIDS post is very intriguing to me.
Anyway.
I think your blog and your topics are great.

Thanks,
NatureJockk in New Orleans

Hi,

It's absolutely thrilling to have disco...

2008-10-22T23:34:00.000+04:00

Hi,

It's absolutely thrilling to have discovered your blog. I spent a few years in Muscat. MY parents lived in Oman for 20 years. My biggest complaint while living there was that Indians did not mix with people from any other community. we might as well have been living in India. I kept wondering what life was like for Omani teenagers.I wish I had known someone like you, then in the 90s to ask about politics and love and books and everything!

I would love to visit now, as an adult and perhaps I will save up and do it one day. I keep recommending it to people . I don't think a lot of people get how stunning Oman is. Practically anywhere you turn is an amazing view and nice people.

best
NS

Please do keep posting.

Of course it's not fair, but HIV tests are quite c...

2008-09-24T09:55:00.000+04:00

Of course it's not fair, but HIV tests are quite commonplace before starting work with large companies outside of Oman. To look at it from the employers' perspective, who would want to be saddled with the higher medical costs of supporting an employee with AIDS down the line, plus possible lawsuits and psychological messes from people who don't want to work with HIV carriers?

An HIV/Aids campaign was launched in Oman in Decem...

2008-08-07T01:59:00.000+04:00

An HIV/Aids campaign was launched in Oman in December 2005 with support from Unicef. Hamed al Wahaibi was the Unicef goodwill ambassador and the Under-Secretary for Health Affairs took an Aids test to show there was nothing to fear. A telephone hotline manned by ten volunteers was initiated to answer calls from the public. What happened to that campaign?

Touche!

Excellent point undercover dragon.<...

2008-07-22T13:11:00.000+04:00

Touche!

Excellent point undercover dragon.

Unfortunately, in this little corner of the world, AIDS is still preceived to be a "western disease"..Something brought to us by the bad bad people from abroad. Hence the restrictions on all foreigners seeking employment and the blatant diregard for our own nationals and their own risky behavior.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the test. Why? Well for one I do not agree with it being the most effective mode of prevention. I can have AIDS but still test negative if I'm tested during my window period (which is the first few months after contracting the virus). Second, a positive person cannot pass on the virus by merely working with someone or sitting on the desk opposite them. I might support the test for workers in fields such as labs or hospitals or places that a positive person with a small cut can pass on contaminated blood, etc. That I can understand. But for all jobs? No.

I believe the best prevetion comes through raising awareness and educating people, esp young people, on how to protect themselves.

Nice post Mrs Muscati!

I have little proble...

2008-07-22T02:56:00.000+04:00

Nice post Mrs Muscati!

I have little problem with my annual free aids test one gets as part of life as an expat worker in Oman (note: they only test the employed one, not spouse).

I just wish they would also test all unaccompanied Omani males coming back from Thailand...