Media Centre: Reports

Epidemiological situation of HIV/AIDS in Azerbaijan

HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading in the planet in a large scale. Only in 2008, 33,2 million people were infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the world, of which 530.000 are children. According to the information of UNAIDS, at present the number of the people living with HIV is over 40 million, of which 2.3 million are children.

According to the opinion of the WHO expert, 25 million people died from the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) for 25 years from its spreading in the world. Only in 2008, the number of the people died from AIDS was 2.1 million, of which 380.000 are children.

In the resent years, the number of the people infected with HIV is observed increasing in Azerbaijan. Only during during 11 months of the 2009 year, the HIV infected cases in the 29 administrative units of the Republic were as follows: in Baku city and Absheron region – 634-ü (29,7%); and in regions -1465-i (68,5%); persons with unknown residence – 39 (1,8%).

So, it was recorded HIV infected fact totally in 2224 persons for the Republic for the period 1987 – 1.12.2009 in the Republic AIDS Center. Of them, 86 persons are foreigners and 2138 are Azerbaijan citizens. 1799 (84,1%) persons of HIV infected Azerbaijan citizens are men and 339 (15,9%) are women. Number of the persons passing to AIDS stage is 448. Total number of the citizens died from AIDS is 274.

Of 2138 Azerbaijan citizens 1376 (64,4%) persons were infected with HIV in the result of infectious drug use; 495 (23,2%) persons as a result of heterosexual, 16 (0,7%) homosexual contact; 20 (0,9%) in the result of mother to child by parental way, 1 (0,05%) in the result of blood transfusion; and it was impossible to determine the transmission way in 230 (10.8 %) persons.

There were also detected other infections in 2138 Azerbaijan citizens who determined infected with HIV: hepatitis C – 1215 persons (65.0 %), hepatitis B – 194 person (10,4 %), tuberculosis – 324 persons (17,3 %), syphilis – 137 persons (7.3 %).

In the period from 1992 to 01.12.2009, it was recorded HIV infected case in 780 families. Of them, in 18 families, father-mother-child; in 166 families, husband-wife; in 547 families, only men; in 48 families, only women were infected with HIV.

From 08.11.2006 the treatment work with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs that begun in the Republic AIDS Control Center free of charge to people infected HIV supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has being continued by the Ministry of Health in Azerbaijan for the first time. Up to day, 310 HIV/AIDS patients began to be treated.