CHITWAN: Among the HIV/AIDS patients in the district, the number of those infected with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is increasing. Out of the HIV/AIDS patients here, 35 have been found to have STIs.
According to senior physician Dr. Pramod Paudel of Bharatpur Hospital, this number was identified during testing of 1,040 people over the past 10 months.
The patients have been diagnosed with syphilis. Dr. Paudel noted that unsafe sexual practices have contributed to the rise in STIs among infected individuals.
The hospital also reported that seven HIV/AIDS patients have tuberculosis, identified during tests of 93 people.
Currently, the district has 1,243 HIV/AIDS patients. Of these, 34 receive medication from Baghauda Hospital in Madi, while 1,209 get treatment from the ART Center in Bharatpur.
Dr. Paudel stated that testing conducted at various locations across the district over the past 10 months identified 66 new HIV cases. Among 285 people tested, these infections were found.
During this period, 104 patients joined the ART Center at Bharatpur Hospital to receive medication. This includes newly infected patients as well as those transferred from other districts.
Krishna Hari Sapkota, program coordinator of the AIDS Health Foundation at Bharatpur Hospital, said that 65 patients who had been receiving medication here were transferred elsewhere, while 28 patients discontinued treatment.
He added that 13 of the patients in the district have died. He also noted that attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients have yet to significantly change.
Sapkota mentioned that even ambulances face difficulties in transporting HIV/AIDS patients for treatment.
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