In tandem with worldwide awareness campaigns, Egypt celebrates Worlds AIDS Day on December 1st, highlighting the reality and living conditions of HIV and AIDS patients in the country. This year, while the 31st celebrations commemorated the epidemic and the need to combat its spread in Cairo, World Health Organization Representative John Jabbour stated that the day was meant to serve as a reminder of the collective responsibility to end the suffering of people living with HIV as well as to provide the most effective means of prevention and treatment. According to Egyptian news outlet Al Akhbar Al Youm, member of the National AIDS Program, Dr. Faten Bayoumi stated the total number of people living with HIV was 13,000 in Egypt. Out of this number, 7,800 were receiving antivira therapy medication (ART) after having detected their status in 2019. In the age group of 25 to 35 years, those who voluntarily tested and discovered their status were 42 percent. However, this number is at odds with UNAIDS’ official statistics which estimates that, in 2018, 22 000 adults and children cases were living with HIV with 31 percent undergoing ART. Since, 2010,…
World AIDS Day: 13,000 Living with HIV in Egypt Despite Efforts to Combat Infection
December 1, 2019
