BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec 4 (NNN-BBNEWS) – “If the increasing number of HIV cases in Brunei is not addressed immediately, it is feared that the number will further increase, which will defeat the country’s goal of eradicating AIDS by 2030,” Haji Mohd Isham, Brunei’s health minister was quoted as saying.
The health minister said, Brunei has health centres and hospitals across the country that can detect HIV infection and provide ART (anti-retroviral therapy) treatment, which, although may not completely cure the infection, it can strengthen the immune system of the patient against other infections, and enable the patient to lead a normal life.
“The total number of HIV infections in Brunei, since the country recorded its first case of HIV in 1986, is 278. The total number of reported deaths related to HIV/AIDS since 1986 is 59, while the number of people living with HIV today is 219,” the country’s Head of the Disease Control Division, at the Department of Environmental Health Services, Justin Wong, said.
Haji Mohd Isham pressed on the important role of family members and communities, in curbing the stigma and discrimination against people with HIV.
The health minister also called for the strengthening of HIV screenings, along with preventive education and practices, particularly among high-risk groups.– NNN-BBNEWS