In the past few years, we were busy dealing with Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, deadly diseases like AIDS have not received much attention. As a result, a record number of AIDS patients have died and been identified this year in the country. According to the media, a total of 1,276 people has been diagnosed with AIDS in 2023. During this time, a record high 266 people died of this disease. From 1989 to 2023, as many as 10,984 people were infected with AIDS in the country. Among them, 2,086 people died. The second highest number of cases and deaths occurred in 2022, when the number of cases was 947 and the number of deaths was 232. This is alarming and a clear call for us to address this life-threatening disease urgently.
As soon as the HIV virus enters a person's body, symptoms do not appear instantly. As a result, the infected person does not know whether he/she is carrying this virus. Although the government provides free medicine and treatment for HIV positive patients, diagnosis of this disease in the country is still a big challenge since testing facilities are not available anywhere in the country. This increases the risk of HIV/AIDS' spread. In this context, steps should be taken to increase AIDS testing facilities across the country. Treatment for this life-long disease is not the same as treatment for other diseases. So, the authorities concerned should take measures to arrange separate treatment facilities for the AIDS patients. Initiatives should also be taken to increase public awareness so that they remain aware of contracting the disease. It has been reported that single-use syringes collected from medical waste are sometimes sold as new ones to hospitals by a group of people. The authorities must keep an eye on this.
AIDS is one of the deadliest health crises in the world. But in our society, this disease is still considered as a taboo. And we do not feel comfort discussing it freely. A public campaign should be conducted to let people know about this disease. Effective steps need to be taken so that people can access free AIDS-related service even in remote areas of the country. This disease can spread rapidly through the homeless and floating drug addicts. Apart from rehabilitating these vulnerable people, other effective steps should be taken before the disease becomes an epidemic in Bangladesh.
Ashikujaman Syed,
Marketing Research Associate of HC Minerals,Shijiazhuang, China,
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