HIV cases up by 3,400

THE number of HIV/AIDS cases increased by 3,400 in Papua New Guinea in the past two years, National AIDS Council Secretariat (Nacs) acting director Tony Lupiwa says.
“There are now a total of 58,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country,” he said.
Lupiwa said the rise was due to a lack of awareness as attention was diverted to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
He said the latest statistics showed that about nine people were infected with HIV/AIDS, with two to three deaths recorded, daily.
The Nacs in last September said 54,845 people were living with HIV/AIDS in the country.
Lupiwa said the international theme for World AIDS Day was “Equalise” and the national theme was “PNG for equality: Leaving no one behind”.
“The theme focuses on addressing inequalities in access to HIV/AIDS treatment and the related stigma and discrimination,” he said.
“People living with HIV/AIDS and other marginalised groups have the same equal rights as everyone to access these services of testing and treatment without fear of being stigmatised.
“These are our high risk groups that we need to protect,” he said.
“But if we deny their rights to these services, we will continue to see our statistics go up.”
The Nacs hopes to work closely with the Government and other relevant stakeholders to help with awareness and prevention.