The highest number of HIV infections in the Sri Lankan history (285) was reported last year (2017), Consultant Epidemiologist attached to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme said.
He was speaking at a health media seminar at the Health Promotion Bureau in Colombo yesterday.
Consultants at the seminar said every week, around six new HIV infections are being detected in Sri Lanka and the estimated number of HIV infected persons in Sri Lanka is around 4,200. One-third of them do not know that they are HIV positive. The new HIV infected persons detected in the country are between the ages 15 and 49.
Female sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men (homosexuals), drug users who use contaminated needles and syringes, prison inmates, beach boys, transgender persons, TB patients, external migrants, members of the armed forces, police, and workers in the tourism industry are in the high-risk category of getting infected with the disease and they need to get their blood tested for HIV on a regular basis.
During the ‘window period’ (less than two weeks after infection), HIV can be transmitted to another person without detection and knowledge, because only sensitive tests such as antigen detecting test can detect the virus in blood.
About 40 percent to 90 percent of people have flu-like symptoms two to four weeks after HIV infection. Other people do not feel sick at all during this stage. Flu-like symptoms can include fever, chills, rash, night sweats, muscle aches, sore throat, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, mouth ulcers, they said.
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