'Turkey is one of the countries with the highest increase rate in HIV cases'

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While there has been a decline in the number of HIV cases in the world, Turkey has observed one of the highest increase rates, which means that the virus will be an important public health problem in the future for the country, according to the Turkish Medical Association (TTB)

HIV cases in the country have increased by 465 percent in the last 10 years with the number of people diagnosed with HIV standing at 26,164 as of the end of 2019, the association said in a statement marking World AIDS Day.

About half of those recently diagnosed are aged between 25 and 49, and the number of total HIV cases is expected to increase by around 4,000, it noted.

Since its emergence, the virus has infected 75.7 million people and 32.7 million people died of AIDS-related causes, said the association, citing UN figures.

Also according to the UN, the number of new cases has decreased by 38 percent in East and South Africa whereas it has increased in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East, North Africa and Latin America by rates between 20 and 72 percent.

The most affected countries by HIV are poor ones, noted the TTB, adding that a significant part of the HIV-related deaths are caused by the inability to access treatment.

It asked the Ministry of Health how many people have been diagnosed as HIV-positive this year and what problems have HIV-positive people experienced during treatment. (SO/VK)