Over 3,000 cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases were reported in the country, this year, of whom nearly 1,000 are women, the Ministry of Public Health stated.
The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan on the occasion of World AIDS Day said on Tuesday, December 6, that this year, more than 3,000 people had contracted the disease, including 819 women.
According to the head of the epidemiology department of preventive medicine at the Ministry of Public Health, per a newsletter released by the ministry, “about 3,292 people in Afghanistan have been infected with AIDS this year, of which 323 people have lost their lives as a result of this disease.”
Meanwhile, Habibullah Akhundzada, the Deputy Minister of Public Health said that AIDS testing is free of cost and is confidential.
December 1st has been designated as World AIDS Day since 1998 and it is observed every year since this day to raise awareness and fight against the disease.
AIDS is spread from patients to others through sexual contact, the sharing of needles, and the use of blood-contaminated equipment, the ministry newsletter cautioned.
AIDS has developed into a serious problem that threatens the lives of thousands of people every year, not just in Afghanistan but around the world.
After the infection, a patient might not exhibit any symptoms or might go through a brief period of influenza-like illness. Usually, a lengthy incubation period without symptoms follows, the newsletter said.
This comes as a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report stated that Afghanistan is coping with multiple disease outbreaks amid one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.—KP
