25 new HIV cases detected in 2009

December 1 - The number of HIV/AIDS infected people in the country has increased to 185, with 25 new cases detected by the health ministry in the past year.

Of the new cases, 21 were infected through sexual contact and three through infected mothers. Eleven, including a minor, are females, four of whom are between 25-29 years, three between 30-39 years, two between 15-19 years and one above 50 years.

Among the 14 males, two are minors between 5-14 years and three between 25-29 years. Two of them are between 40-49 years, one above 50 years and the highest number, five, are between 30-39 years.

Of the 25 cases, eight were diagnosed through contact tracing, where identification and diagnosis of persons, who may have come into contact with an infected person, is done. Six cases were detected through voluntary testing, four each from medical and blood donor screening and three had acquired the infection from their mothers.

All 25 cases were detected with a CD4 count, a marker of disease progression, between 300-400/ ccm of blood. “Their count shows that the infections are about seven to eight years old, infected sometime in 2001-2002,” said a health official. The infected population cuts across all sections of society, according to health ministry’s records. Nine of the 25 infected are housewives, five corporate and private employees and four armed force personnel. The other four are a civil servant, a student, a farmer and a businessperson.

Since the first case was detected in 1993, 37 of the 185 people with HIV/AIDS infection have died, according to the health ministry. Except for three, who died from cerebral malaria, road accident and suicide, the rest died of the infection.

Bhutan today has 148 people living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 91 are females and 94 males. Health officials said that almost 90 percent of HIV infections occur through unsafe sexual practices, like multiple partners, casual sex and low condom use. Also, about 90 percent of infected people are between 15-49 years, nine percent below 15 years and about a percent in people above 50 years.

Records with the health ministry show that the highest number of HIV/AIDS infected group are housewives, followed by those in the armed forces and the business community. Of the 185, 51 are housewives, 24 are armed force personnel and 23 in the business community.

“Most of the time, it’s the husbands of the housewives who give them the infection,” said the public health director, Dr Ugen Dophu on why housewives are the highest infected group.

To provide support and care to those living with HIV/AIDS, an anti-retroviral therapy (ART), was introduced in 2004. Today, there are 36 HIV/AIDS infected people on ART, where at least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are used to suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of disease.

While increased awareness and access to testing facilities have enhanced detection of HIV infection, UNAIDS estimates that Bhutan would have more than 500 HIV infection cases, as compared to the reported cases.

source: kuensel