MINISTER or Health and Medical Services, Dr. Tautai Agikimua Kaitu’u will officially announce the new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Aids cases in Solomon Islands today.
This is part of marking the Word Aids Day, which falls on 1 December.
Director of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and HIV Dr. Henry Kako confirmed to Solomon Star on Monday.
Dr. Kako said currently there are cumulative 25 HIV cases in the country recorded since 1994.
He said, 11 of the people who contracted the virus are still alive, 12 have passed on and two have been lost track by medical authorities.
“These cases are diagnosed from the private clinics and tested at National Referral Hospital lab.
“But we didn’t meet them,” Dr. Kako said.
However, he said, the trend is increasing every year with one cases recorded in 1994, followed by two cases in 2012 and three cases in 2014.
But Dr. Kako said, the 25 cases are manageable for the country in terms of providing drugs for the patients and resources to maintain them.
“In the near future if the cases continue to increase, then the country require commitment to meet drugs and follow up in terms of the clinical side and their progress,” he said.
In the meantime, the World Aids Day will end with the launching of Record Generation Survey at Iron Bottom Sound this evening.
By EDDIE OSIFELO
