World AIDS Day: Spike Of HIV Cases In Iran
The Iranian state television has reported that Iranians who tested HIV-positive has risen by 80% annually over the last decade. The state Television quoted Hassan Ghzaizadeh, the Health Minister, who commented on the increase in the number of HIV/AIDS patients in the country.
Ghzaizadeh mentioned at a conference in Tehran that the infection rate has increased by 9 times over the last 11 years. Third of those who are HIV-positive reported that they became infected through sexual intercourse. Others reported the use of infected syringes as the cause.
According to the reports, number of registered HIV-positive citizens in Iran are about 27,000, but many predict that there are more than what the estimates guess. Much of these cases go underreported as the topic was considered a taboo in the country. For women in Iran, being HIV-positive can mean immediate abandonment by their family and relatives. In addition, education to warn against risky sexual activities has been undermined in Iran; posters warning of risky sexual activities and methods to preventing HIV were posted in high schools during former President Khatami's term, while this was discontinued during former President Ahmadinejad's term.
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