Kyrgyzstanis will be tested for HIV free of charge and anonymously in markets and shops

A national campaign for World AIDS Day will be held in Kyrgyzstan during November. This is reported by the Republican AIDS Center of the Ministry of Health and Social Development.

According to the AIDS service, as of October 1 of this year, 10,328 cases of HIV were officially registered in the country. The main way of transmission of infection is sexual, its share is 51.9% of all detected cases. In the first nine months of 2021, more than 400 thousand people were tested for HIV in Kyrgyzstan. 598 people with HIV were identified, the sexual route of transmission was 81.3%.

At the same time, 45% of new cases of HIV infection in the country are detected in the late stages of AIDS, when doctors are powerless to do anything, the report says.

As part of the campaign, Kyrgyzstanis will be able to take rapid saliva tests for themselves and their sexual partner for free and anonymously in all structural divisions of the AIDS service and conduct independent testing, as well as undergo anonymous testing in markets, hypermarkets, participate in promotions and campaigns to be organized by partners of the AIDS service.

Kyrgyzstan is currently developing the sixth State program to overcome HIV for 2022-2026.