Bangladesh has reported 9708 patients infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) so far 6105 are under treatment, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the field of HIV infected patients has increased under the programmes taken by the government. The government of Bangladesh has targeted 95 percent of HIV patients to come under treatment by 2030.
Meanwhile, health experts suggest the government take more initiatives and plans to combat against the deadly virus. They feel the need to increase identification tests and coverage to detect the people who bear the virus. Particularly, more attention needs to be paid to Rohingya people, migrants, people who have been pushed back and AIDS-prone areas. They also opined to bring everyone under the HIV test in border areas as like the coronavirus.
According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Bangladesh has so far registered more than 15,000 AIDS infected patients which is 0.1 percent of the total population. However, Bangladesh National AIDS/STD Control Programme claimed that the rate of bringing AIDS patients under the treatment coverage is increasing every year.
Meanwhile, UNICEF said a staggering 360,000 adolescents are projected to die of AIDS-related diseases by 2030. Unless additional investment in HIV prevention, testing and treatment programmes, 76 teenagers will die every day.
The first case of HIV in Bangladesh was detected in 1989. Since then, 10, 20, 100 or 200 new cases have been identified every year. In 2018, the number of new cases stood at 869. Bangladesh registered the first death of HIV-infected patient in 2000.
Since 2019, many who went abroad legally and illegally, have returned home due to the coronavirus pandemic. The matter of concern is that the number of migrants is high among the newly identified AIDS patients. According to statistics, 30 percent of new HIV patients surveyed are migrant workers or members of their families.
According to experts, the awareness about AIDS is not at the desired level yet in the country. Though it is slowly growing, it needs to increase. According to officials of the National AIDS/STD Programme of DGHS, nearly 50 percent of those infected with HIV are not aware of the infection. According to data, the rate of HIV/AIDS infection among the general population is below 0.01 percent and this has been possible due to various effective measures taken by the government.
Saima Khan, UNAIDS Country Manager in Bangladesh, said, "UNAIDS is focusing on AIDS prevention. Our strategy for the next five years is: You are equal to you. Undetectable is equal to un-transmissible. In other words, if I could take the medicine and reduce the virus to a level when it could no longer spread. If my HIV is not spreading, then I can live longer."
