The internal and external migrant workers have been the biggest threats for spreading HIV-AIDS in Bangladesh as around 50% of the new AIDS patients were identified as migrant workers.
Last year, a total of 338 new HIV patients were identified in the country, more than 45% of who were migrant workers.
Though Line Director of National AIDS/STD Programme (NASP), Dr Abdul Wahed, admitted the high prevalence of HIV infection among migrant workers, he refused giving any details.
Meanwhile, the health ministry did not have the actual data concerning this high-risk group as their survey has remained stopped since 2011.
A highly-placed executive at a local NGO, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The sero-surveillance report is a must to get a clear picture of prevalence rate among the different high-risk groups. Currently, we are not getting the actual prevalence rate.”
Under this circumstance, Bangladesh like all the other countries in the world will observe the World AIDS Day on Sunday.
The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day is set “Getting to Zero.”
According to health ministry, a total of 2,871 HIV-positive patients have been identified in Bangladesh since 1989, among who 1,204 became AIDS patients and 390 died.
However, there were discrepancies between the public and NGO statistics regarding the numbers.
MM Niazuddin, health secretary, at a press conference at the Secretariat on Saturday said five government hospitals would give patients free medicine and health treatment from January 1 next year.
Arifur Rahman, divisional coordinator of AAS, said they had got 40 new patients, including 17 women and two children, in the current calendar year. All the newly-infected women had received the virus from their expatriate husbands while both children were born infected.
“We are providing medical facilities to 81 females and 17 children.” All the females had received the virus from their husbands while all the children were born infected, he said.
An official at the Hope said they were providing medical assistance to a total of 248 patients. Sixty-nine of their female patients had received the virus from husbands while seven children were born with the virus.
Prof Dr AQM Sirajul Islam, former head of the department of shin and sexual disease at Chittagong Medical College Hospital told the Dhaka Tribune that mostly the wives and children of expatriate workers to the Middle East were facing such fate.
“There are some procedures of conceiving baby for the HIV infected mothers. It is possible to keep the baby safe if the HIV infected parents consult the physicians before conceiving,” said Sirajul, who has long been working with AIDS patients.
Brig Gen Khandakar Shahidul Gani, director at the CMCH, said they had taken up a Unicef-funded project to provide services to the HIV infected parents before and after having a baby.
Ali Hossain, manager of the project, said 90% of the HIV positive children across the country were born infected. However, the ratio was 100% in Chittagong. “It is possible to bring the percentage down to only two through providing services to the infected parents,” he said.
It has been learnt that the NGOs have not yet agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding with the government. It requires them to deposit 10-20% of the total funding as performance security.
Habiba Akter, executive director of Ashar Alo, said it would not be possible to deposit a large amount of money which may hamper the treatment.