Sujan Miah :: KHULNA, Bangladesh — At least 100 people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh’s Khulna region over the past year, and 23 of them have died, hospital officials said, raising concerns among health experts about unsafe blood transfusions, low awareness, and limited testing facilities.
Data from the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre at Khulna Medical College Hospital show that 1,279 people were tested for HIV between November last year and October this year. Of those tested, 100 were found to be HIV positive, nearly half of them residents of Khulna district.
The remaining cases were reported from neighbouring districts, including Bagerhat (16), Satkhira (12), Narail (11), Jashore (7), Gopalganj (3) and Pirojpur (2), according to hospital records.
Hospital sources said at least 20 of the infections were linked to blood transfusions, while others were detected among sex workers, men who have sex with men, housewives and students. A large proportion of cases were found among people aged between 20 and 25.
“The pace at which HIV cases are increasing across the division is worrying,” said Dibesh Ojha, counsellor and administrator of the ART Centre at Khulna Medical College Hospital.
He said more than 10 percent of the infections were associated with blood exchanged through substandard and illegal clinics and diagnostic centres, while stigma, lack of awareness and irregular testing were also contributing to the spread of the virus.
Ojha added that shortages of HIV testing kits have made it difficult to properly confirm and monitor infections, even as patient numbers continue to rise.
Public health experts warn that without stricter regulation of private clinics, wider access to testing and stronger awareness campaigns, HIV transmission in the region could accelerate further.
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