KHUJAND, April 14, 2015, Asia-Plus — The number of HIV sufferers has increased by more than 10 percent in the northern province of Sughd over the first three months of this year.
According to the Sughd AIDS/HIV Prevention Center, 144 new cases of HIV infections has been registered in the area in January-March this year, bringing a total number of HIV sufferers in Sughd to 1,403.
In January-March 2014, 59 new HIV sufferers (35 men and 24 women) were registered in northern Tajikistan.
“Of 144 new HIV sufferers registered in the province in the first quarter of this year, 85 are men and 59 are women,” an official source at the Sughd AIDS/HIV Prevention Center told Asia-Plus in an interview.
As far as a total number of HIV sufferers registered in Sughd is concerned, 930 of them are men and 473 are women, including 70 minors.
People aged 30 to 39 reportedly constitute 43.8 percent (615) of the total number of HIV sufferers officially registered in Sughd, the source said.
The listed causes of contracting HVI infection in northern Tajikistan were drug injection – 41.6 percent (584 cases), sexual contact – 52.8 percent (743 cases), mother-to-child transmission – 3.6 percent (49 cases) and unknown – 1.6 percent (22 cases).
The first case of HIV infection was reportedly registered in Sughd province in 2001 and 376 HIV sufferers have died in the province since that time.
