MADRID PUBLIC HEALTH TIDBITS

UNCLAS MADRID 003835 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR OES/IHA, EUR/WE, AND THE OFFICE OF THE GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SOCI KHIV SP SUBJECT: MADRID PUBLIC HEALTH TIDBITS REF: MADRID 3817 ¶1. Madrid's ESTH Officer periodically groups together and reports ESTH developments that might otherwise "fall below the reporting bar." Key issues will continue to be reported via "stand alone" cables. ESTH Officer Ken Forder welcomes feedback at forderk@state.gov. ¶2. INDEX: ¶A. HIV infection rate continues to decline. ¶B. Euthanasia Debate. ¶C. 46 percent of Spain's Children Obese or Overweight. -------------- ¶A. HIV INFECTION RATE CONTINUES TO DECLINE -------------- ¶3. The HEALTH Ministry announced that 2,190 persons were diagnosed as carrying the HIV virus in 2003, a 5.2 percent decline from the 2,311 new infections reported in 2002. Approximately half of the new infections were believed to have been caused by drug addicts sharing syringes. The infection rate peaked in 1994 with 7,401 new infections diagnosed. The HEALTH Ministry acknowledged, however, that its figures under-report the "real" infection rate, which some claim could be as high as approximately 4,000 new infections a year. Perhaps even more alarming, the Ministry reported that 60 percent of those diagnosed with AIDS had been unaware that they had been carrying the HIV virus. This supports the arguments of those who believe Spain's official HIV infection rate underestimates the true gravity of the nation's HIV/AIDS situation. -------------- ¶B. EUTHANASIA DEBATE -------------- ¶4. Vice President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, Spain's number two ranking leader, told a press conference that her Socialist Party Government would not/not soon propose the legalization of euthanasia, given that it is a "complicated and very delicate subject" on which there is "no social consensus." Other PSOE leaders supported de la Vega, but indicated that the ruling party would propose that the issue be debated in Congress. Euthanasia in Spain has received much attention in the aftermath of an award winning Spanish film ("The Sea Within") portraying ONE man's battle with the State for permission to be euthanized. Article 143 of the Spanish Penal Code proscribes punishments of six to ten years for persons who assist others to die. However, the same article permits lesser sentences in cases where it was clear that the deceased consented and had been suffering from a terminal condition. Many persons within the ruling PSOE and some of Spain's smaller leftist parties have long pressed for changing Article 143 to decriminalize euthanasia. De la Vega's comments appear to rule that out, at least for now. -------------- -------------- c. 46 PERCENT OF SPAIN'S CHILDREN OBESE OR OVERWEIGHT -------------- -------------- ¶5. A study released by the "Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity" reported that 16 percent of Spanish children between the ages of six and 12 suffered from obesity, a five-fold increase over the past 20 years. The obesity rate of children in Spain has now reportedly surpassed that of adults (14.5 percent). An additional 30 percent of Spanish children were considered overweight. According to the study, within the EU, only the United Kingdom (18 percent) has a higher child obesity rate than Spain. HEALTH Minister Elena Salgado was reported to be "very worried" by the results of the study. ARGYROS