HIV/AIDS rate rises in Tajikistan in 2010
Over 1,004 of HIV/AIDS new cases were recorded in Tajikistan in 2010. A source at the Republican AIDS Centre of the Tajik Health Ministry told Asia-Plus that over 280 people, the representatives of various segments of the population, underwent counselling and HIV-test in 2010, as a result of which new cases of HIV were recorded; of them 797 were male and 207 were female.
21 January 2011
According to the date from the centre, a total of 2,857 HIV cases had been officially recorded since 1991, ever since the first case was reported, hitherto 1 January 2011. Of them 2,280 were male and 577 female.
According to the source, injecting drug users, as previously, comprise the majority (55 per cent) of HIV-positive [patients], 28 per cent are those infected via sexual intercourse and 10 per cent are migrants. Over 600 HIV-infected in the country undergo antiretroviral therapy.
The source underlined the increase in the number of HIV-positive [patients]and relate this increase to the growth of diagnostics and testing in the country. "If in 2009 only 210,000 people underwent the test in the country, in 2010 the number increased to 280,000," the source said.
"Year by year the public awareness of HIV/AIDS keeps increasing, and the number of people who want to know about their [HIV] status is increasing too," the source added. The source said that 424 new HIV cases in 2009 and 373 cases were recorded in 2008. It is worth noting that officially HIV diagnosing and testing, conducted in the country's AIDS centres, are free of charge.
Source: Asia-Plus news agency website