According to statistical data posted on the Republican AIDS Center’s website, a current number of officially reported cases of HIV in Tajikistan is 6,6621.
Men reportedly account for 68.3 percent of a total number of the officially reported cases of HIV in the country.
In Tajikistan, the first HIV infection case was officially registered in the northern province of Sughd in 1991 and since that time, 8224 Tajikistanis have contracted the HIV infection; 1,450 HIV sufferers have died of various HIV-infection related diseases.
Last year, 1,151 new HIV sufferers were officially reported in the country, with 14.3 percent of them being labor migrants.
Over the first six months of this year, 515 new cases of HIV have been detected in Tajikistan.
World AIDS Day is observed on December 1 and like other countries throughout the world, Tajikistan also observes World AIDS Day.
A number of HIV-awareness events targeting young people are taking place across the country today.
World AIDS Day, designated on December 1 every year since 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease. Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control.
The theme of this year's event is Hands up for HIV Prevention. The campaign looks at ways to improve prevention strategies, identifying key areas among specific groups of people who are vulnerable to transmission – adolescent girls and young women in particular.
In November, UNAIDS released a report showing 18.2 million people are now on antiretroviral therapy. However, it found women aged between 15 and 24 were at great risk. For this reason, they called for a “life-cycle” approach, so prevention targets every stage of a person's life.
The report showed more and more countries were getting on the Fast-Track – an initiative launched in 2014 that sets out plans to bring the Aids epidemic to an end by 2030. The latest report found that in the six months to June 2016, an additional million people had gained access to anti-retroviral treatment.
