BSS :
It is a time when she is caught in despair as her dream of living a happy family life has faced a thaw. It is also a perplexing episode for a newly-wed spouse as she has come to know that her husband tested HIV positive.
It was absolutely impossible to know by kith and kin of both their families about signs and symptoms associated with HIV positivity before the wedding.
Ramiz Uddin (not real name), who used to live in Anowara Upazila of Chattogram district, recently came from a middle eastern country. Just after his return home, he was married off to a woman of his same village. But the newly-wed bride noticed that her husband was not healthy as he always looked tired and sought to take rest all the time. More alarmingly, he did not want to even talk with others.
In the beginning, the bride forced Ramiz to visit a doctor. But he did not agree. Later, he was forced to visit a doctor, and after several examinations, he (Ramiz) was tested HIV/ AIDS positive. He is now undergoing treatment.
Ramiz is not the lone case who has been infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the country.
According to a statistic, 658 persons were tested positive newly last year. Of them, 76 percent is male, 21 percent is female and three percent is transgender. Though it is astonishing, the reality is that of those infected persons, mostly are married. The percentage of married people is 70.6 while the percentage of unmarried is 23.16. The number of HIV AIDS infected people is more than 14 thousands in the country.
Besides, 124 Rohingyas were found HIV positive.
Line director of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr Md Samiul Islam said 13,32,589 persons went for diagnose HIV AIDS from November 2019 to November 2020. “Of them, 658 persons were tested positive newly. Among the positive patients, 76 percent is male, 21 percent is 21 female and three percent is transgender and 124 persons are from the Rohingya community,” he added.
He said of the newly positive patients, 70.6 percent people are married, 23.16 percent are unmarried and 141 persons died during this period. A total of 1383 people died due to HIV AIDS infection, he added.
The line director said of the newly infected people, most are from Dhaka division. A total of 218 people were tested positive in Dhaka division while 127 in Chattogram, 64 in Khulna, 28 in Barishal, 27 in Rajshahi, 15 in Mymensingh and 15 in Rangpur division, he added.
“Among the total newly positive patients, 12.24 percent is above 50 years, 74.20 percent is between 25 years and 49 years, 8.85 percent is between 19 years and 24 years and 2.07 percent is between 10 years and 18 years,” he said.
He said the rate of HIV infection among the common people is below 0.01 percent and it has been possible for different effective steps taken by the present Awami League government.
Samiul said the government has carried out campaign vastly to raise awareness among the masses. For this, the countrymen are now much aware than earlier, he added.
He said presently about 3.80 crore people are HIV AIDS positive. Of them, 1.80 crore people have been infected newly, he added.
