Thirty-five-year-old Ramiza (pseudo name) was a sex worker. A man, whom she used to call uncle, sold her to a broker. After that, she was forced to be a sex worker. After that she took drugs almost every night. Once she fell sick and diagnosed as HIV positive. Since then, she is working with a local NGO (non-government organisation) as a volunteer to aware other sex workers about HIV virus.
According to a study conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services, a total of 1,276 new AIDS patients were identified in the country this year. Of them, 266 have died. This is the highest number of infections and deaths reported in Bangladesh in a year. Of the newly infected, 1,118 are Bangladeshi citizens and 158 are Rohingyas living in Cox's Bazar, the study shows. Last year, 947 new AIDS patients were reported across the country, of them, 232 died of AIDS. However, DGHS officials assume that the country has more than 15 thousand AIDS patients.
DGHS DG Prof Abul Bashar Mohammed Khurshid Alam said, “Bangladesh has been successful in eradicating or controlling many diseases, but it has stalled in controlling AIDS. It requires greater emphasis on diagnosis and treatment to eradicate AIDS. We have to be more careful about this disease”. Khurshid Alam said AIDS would be eradicated from Bangladesh by 2030.
