Almost 5,000 HIV-infected registered in Azerbaijan
By Rashid Shirinov
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Health has made a statement in connection with spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country.
As many as 4,955 HIV-infected people were put on official record to the Republican Center for Combating AIDS in Azerbaijan from 1987 to July 2016, the Ministry told Trend.
Some 3,607 or 73.2 percent of them are men, while 1,348 (26.8 percent) are women. A total of 1,798 people already suffer from AIDS.
HIV prevalence in the country differs from region to region and is notably higher in Shirvan, Hajigabul, Astara, Lankaran and Sumgayit.
As to the causes of HIV in Azerbaijan, 47 percent of infected caught the illness due to the use of drugs, 42.1 percent through heterosexual and 1.8 percent from homosexual contacts, 1.8 percent are children infected by mothers, while one person got it through blood transfusion. The cause of infection was not defined for the rest 7.8 percent.
Over the first six months of the current year, 69,796 people were examined for HIV, while 44 of them were declared infected.
Some 283 cases of HIV infection were recorded for the given period, including 180 Azerbaijani men, 96 Azerbaijani women and seven foreigners. Use of drugs is stated the reason of 20.3 percent of HIV infection cases revealed in Azerbaijan during the first half of 2016.
HIV is a virus which attacks the human immune system -- the body's defense against disease. A person with HIV may feel completely well and have no symptoms. In time, he or she may suffer from particular rare illnesses or cancers because their immune system has become weakened. When this happens, the person is said to have AIDS.
Currently, Azerbaijani health expenditure accounts for approximately 5 percent of GDP. The government has made substantial progress in rationalizing public health facilities and health care staff, developing treatment protocols, training personnel, and introducing family doctors and a licensing system for health professionals. Improvements are also being made to health care facilities through the construction of new regional hospitals and upgrading rural health centres, with a focus on strengthening primary health care.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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