19:56, 01 декабря 2021, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Maria ORLOVA
United States supports introduction of innovative method to prevent HIV infection in the Kyrgyz Republic. U.S. Embassy reported.
This year marks the 11th anniversary of partnership of the U.S. Government with the Kyrgyz Republic in responding to HIV/AIDS. The United States is supporting evidence-based interventions to stop further spread of the HIV epidemic in the Kyrgyz Republic.
«HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a safe HIV prevention method in which people who do not have HIV take medicine to reduce their risk of becoming infected if they are exposed to the virus. It is prescribed to HIV-negative adults and adolescents who are at high risk of infection due to risky sexual behaviors or injection drug use,» the Embassy noted.
Currently 152 people are receiving PrEP in the Kyrgyz Republic, with plans to enroll another 250 individuals by September 2022. The medication is offered for free at all AIDS Centers in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Today is the World AIDS Day. It was proclaimed by WHO in 1988. The date was established with the aim of raising awareness of the AIDS epidemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, as well as a day of remembrance for the victims of this disease. According to this organization, 7.7 million people in the world could die of AIDS in the next 10 years.
About 700-800 cases of HIV infection are registered annually in Kyrgyzstan. To date, more than 10,300 infected citizens have been registered, more than 2,300 have died in the republic.