In 2019, the number of people suffering from AIDS, stands at 919; of them, 105 are Rohingyas. The number of AIDS affected is highest among married people with 587. Of the new affected, 170 have died.

The information was revealed on Sunday (Dec 1) on occasion of the AIDS Day.

Line director of STD programme, professor Dr Shamiul Islam, said: “From 1989 till 2019, 7374 persons have been detected with AIDS and of them, 1,342 have died. Of the new affected, 74 percent are men, 25 percent women and 1 percent transgender.”

The rate of infection is highest among people between the age 25 and 49.

Health Minister Zahid Maleque said: “There are around 40 million AIDS patients in the world and compared to that, the number of patients in Bangladesh is 0.01 percent; across the world, AIDS medicine coverage is 61 percent, whereas in Bangladesh, it’s 61 percent.”

But we cannot be complacent and need to work tirelessly to increase awareness, said the minister and added: “Around 10 million Bangladeshis stay abroad and if we raise awareness among them, a lot of people will get reprieve from AIDS.”

Saying that the affected Rohigyas are being given medication, the minister observed: “Our challenge is to raise HIV detection rate; now its 52 percent but we need to take it to 100 percent.”

Most affected are young men and so awareness among them has to be increased and we must work to eliminate AIDS by 2030, said the minister.