TEHRAN – A campaign was launched to test the public for HIV, through which over 100,000 tests have been carried out nationwide, ILNA reported on Saturday.

The campaign, called "I test for HIV, too", began on November 11 for a month, aiming to identify the HIV patients in targeted populations, and increase universal access to HIV training and diagnosis.

The results showed that in total from the beginning of the campaign, 100,221 diagnostic tests were carried out in 1,411 centers, and from 310 primary positive cases, 114 cases have been referred to counseling centers for confirmation.

There are an estimated 54,850 people living with HIV in the country. The major part of the activities was carried out by the non-communicable disease management center, the Welfare Organization, the Prison Organization, treatment and addiction centers.

Currently, there are an estimated 54,850 people living with HIV in the country, and we have identified 42,933 cases of this infection, and so far, 20,284 people have lost their lives, and 6,885 people have not yet been referred to the treatment centers, he lamented.

Also, 22,684 people living with HIV are now alive and 15,800 are being treated, 14,000 of whom have been successfully treated, he added.

HIV prevalence in the world

The human immunodeficiency viruses are two species of Lentivirus that cause HIV infection and over time acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AIDS is a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, 75 million people have been infected with the HIV virus and about 32 million people have died of HIV.

Globally, 37.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018. An estimated 0.8% [0.6-0.9%] of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions.

The WHO African region remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 25 adults (3.9%) living with HIV and accounting for more than two-thirds of the people living with HIV worldwide.

FB/MG