Number of HIV-infected through sexual contact increases in Kyrgyzstan

In Kyrgyzstan, the HIV epidemic is already at an advanced concentrated stage due to the increase in sexual contacts transmission. The director of the Republican AIDS Center Ulan Kadyrbekov informed 24.kg news agency.

«We can not reliably assert so far that the virus has gone to the general population. But the growth in the sexual transmission is unambiguously observed. Previously, we believed that this is because of sexual partners of key groups (people who use injecting drugs, sex workers). But recent trends show that this is partially observed among the general population. However, we can not say it for sure, as long as we do not have a qualitative epidemiological investigation. We will definitely conduct it," Ulan Kadyrbekov said.

He noted that some HIV-infected people give false information, denying both casual sex and drug use: «And then all sorts of insinuations begin, that he got infected from a dentist or in a hospital, or just does not know where. Because of attempts to hide the sexual transmission of infection, we have an increase in the unidentified transmission way. «

When asked how big the risk of getting infected in the hospital is, the head of AIDS Republican Center answered: «There are certain sanitary norms and rules, there is a program of infection control in the hospital. Therefore, the risk of infection is almost minimal.»

In recent years, there are no reliably registered HIV infections in hospitals.

Head of AIDS RC Ulan Kadyrbekov

He also noted that the country has reduced the vertical way of HIV transmission (from mother to child).

«According to the program of state guarantees, all pregnant women are tested for HIV free when registering. In case of detection of infection, prevention is provided, and ARV drugs are given. Immediately after birth the child is also given an ARV drug in the form of syrup. According to the clinical protocol, if the virus does not appear in the blood, then after a while the child is excluded from the register as healthy," Ulan Kadyrbekov explained.

As of January 1, at least 7,117 HIV infections have been officially registered in the republic.

5, 553 of them are alive people. The number of HIV-infected children is 580. 3,500 people are registered at a dispensary. More than 2,600 people receive antiretroviral therapy.