HIV cases up by 38pc in Afghanistan: official

KABUL, compared to past years.

In a statement the ministry said marking the day was a great opportunity for public and private partners to increase awareness about the pandemic status and to have people directly involved in HIV response to renew their commitments.

It said the MoPH provided HIV/AIDS prevention services through Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center in 11 provinces — Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Balkh, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kunar, Diakundi, Parwan and Kunduz and two Anti-Retroviral-Therapy (ART) centers in Kabul and Herat.

However, Dr. Najia Tariq, deputy minister of health care services provision, said 117 new positive HIA cases were discovered in Afghanistan last year, but the figures rose to 162 new cases this year, showing 38 percent increase.

So far a total of 1,529 HIV positive cases have been registered by MoPH’s National AIDS Control Program. On the other hand, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS estimate around 5,000 individuals living with HIV/AIDs in Afghanistan. 

According to UNAIDS reports published in 2012, more than 35.17 million people live with HIV and AIDS worldwide, around half of which are women.

pr/ma