The latest number of HIV positive patients will continue to rise if people don’t get tested to determine their status and get appropriate treatment.
Head of Family Health at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Dr Rachael Pillay says the alarming number of 552 revealed on Friday was only a tip off the iceberg.
“That is risk that is out there. Having HIV is not a death sentence. If people have contracted it, there is medication that can help them combat it. It’s when it gets to the AIDS stage that is dangerous. The earlier you get tested, the better it is.”
Late last week, the Ministry of Health released the latest statistics stating that from January to June this year alone there was 552 cases reported.
“Out of the 552, 380 were recorded in the Central division, 151 in the West, the Northern division totalling 19 and 2 cases from the Eastern division.”
“Those are the numbers from people who have come forward to get tested. We know there are many still out there afraid of the stigmatization that comes with being positive for HIV. We are asking people to come and get tested, because the transmission is through needle sharing, unsafe sexual practices and the more people continue down this path, it will become an even more bigger problem.”
