Statistics by Ministry of Public Health show that 28 people died due to HIV/AIDS last year.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Health said their statistics show that 5,900 people have been diagnosed positive with HIV/AIDS virus around the country.
The statistics were made public in a meeting organized on the activities of the ministry, especially in prevention of HIV/AIDS. The meeting was attended by the ministry’s officials and representatives of international organizations.
Mamozai Zewar, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, said that 28 people lost their lives due to HIV/AIDS infection.
Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Balkh and Kunduz provinces have the highest number of HIV/AIDS patients. 
“The number of people infected with AIDS virus has reached to 5,900 people,” said Zewar.
He said they remain committed to fighting the virus and helping those infected with HIV/AIDS.
An official from the World Health Organization (WHO) said more works needed in fighting and preventing HIV disease.
“In Afghanistan it is moving on the right direction, however, more collective and consulted efforts have to be done and it has to be done,” Merlyn, a representative from WHO said.
According to MoPH, currently, 4.4 percent of the addicts injects drugs into their bodies which transfer AIDS virus from one person to another one. The officials said in the last 10 years they have prevented the increase of injections among the addicts to prevent an increase of HIV disease.
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. But there a global commitment to stopping new HIV infections and ensuring that everyone living with HIV has access to HIV treatment.
According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS information on website of the organization, there were approximately 36.9 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS in 2017. Of these, 1.8 million were children (<15 years old).
An estimated 1.8 million individuals worldwide became newly infected with HIV in 2017 – about 5,000 new infections per day. This includes 180,000 children (<15 years). Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and were infected by their HIV-positive mothers during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
Approximately 75% of people living with HIV globally were aware of their HIV status in 2017. The remaining 25% (over 9 million people) still need access to HIV testing services. HIV testing is an essential gateway to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services.
AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by more than 51% since the peak in 2004. In 2017, 940 000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, compared to 1.4 million in 2010 and 1.9 million in 2004. (Tolo news)