HIV infected people are on the rise with 695 new HIV positive people being identified in the country in 2023, the National STD and AIDS Control Programme in Sri Lanka said.
NSACP Sri Lanka Director Dr. Janaki Vidanapathirana said that the increase of HIV positive people with 695 in 2023 is a 14 percent growth compared to 2022, during a press conference held in Colombo. The highest number of those infected with HIV have been reported from the Western Province, according to the UNAIDS estimate received.
HIV infection can happen through three main channels of having unprotected sex, from an infected mother to a child in the womb and the blood of an infected person entering the body of a healthy person.
Once infected with the HIV virus, the infection begins to adversely affect the immune system with the HIV virus multiplying and spreading inside the body of the infected person destroying the white cells also known as CD4 cells that helps the body fight infections and diseases and as a result, such a person who does not receive proper treatment in time gets to the life threatening stage of AIDS between 2 to 7 years.
Dr.Vidanapathirana said those in the age group of 20 to 30 who are sexually active are at greater risk of getting infected with the HIV virus. UNAIDS Institute has provided an estimate regarding the number of HIV positive people in Sri Lanka which stands at 4,100, she added.
Varuna Dayaratne