Over 1,300 people infected with HIV in Sudurpaschim province

Dhangadhi: A total of 1,362 people have been found to be infected with HIV in Sudurpaschim Province. According to the Provincial Health Directorate, 1,362 individuals tested positive out of 356,551 people tested over the past five years.

In the fiscal year 2076/77, 288 people were found infected with HIV, while in the fiscal year 2077/78, 279 people tested positive out of 14,398 tested. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2078/79, 325 individuals were found to be infected out of 91,044 tested. In the fiscal year 2079/80, 144,647 people were tested, and in the fiscal year 2080/81, 218 new infections were recorded, according to Dharmananda Giri, Information Officer at the Provincial Health Directorate, Doti.

HIV focal person at the Health Directorate, Doti, Manoj Prasad Ojha, stated that HIV infections have been observed mainly among people from the Far West who migrate to India for employment. “HIV infection has been found among those who go to India for work and their family members,” Ojha said. He added that a small number of children and transgender individuals have also been infected. (Transgender refers to people who do not match their birth gender but live according to their identity.)

HIV-infected individuals are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals across the province, including Seti Provincial Hospital Dhangadhi, Tikapur Hospital, Lamkichuha Hospital, Malakheti Hospital, Mahakali Provincial Hospital Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura Hospital, District Hospitals in Doti, Achham, Bajhang, Bajura, Darchula, and Baitadi, as well as Primary Health Centers in Kamalbazar (Achham), Kesarpur (Baitadi), Dodhara (Kanchanpur), Jogbudha Hospital (Dadeldhura), and Walpata Hospital (Achham), according to Ojha.