Armenia has a growing trend of HIV and AIDS morbidity – expert

YEREVAN, December 30. /ARKA/. The number of new HIV cases recorded annually in Armenia has not changed much, but there is a growth tendency, Narina Sarkisyants, Deputy Director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases said today.

According to her, as of December 31, 2021, there were 4,579 registered cases of HIV and AIDS in Armenia, while by the end of October this year, their number grew by 430.

Sarkisyants stressed that 70 percent of the cases were detected in men. As for age groups, the bulk of the cases were detected among people from 25 to 39 years old. A total of 358 new cases were reported in 2017, 429 cases in 2018, 448 in 2019 and 425 in 2021.

"This rate is expected to increase due to increased immigration. Despite this, we can say that we are in a satisfactory position in the region. Our prevalence of the virus is 0.1%," she said.

Sarkisyants noted that Armenia should work to improve detection of the disease, since citizens often come to doctors late, when the virus has already "done its work." -0-