Speakers at a press conference in the city yesterday termed media role imperative for creating awareness about prevention of HIV infection. Though incidence of HIV infection has reduced globally, including in Bangladesh, it is still a grave concern with certain groups vulnerable to it, they observed. The speakers noted HIV infection is more prevalent among those who inject illicit drugs, migrant workers, sex workers, sodomites and members of the transgender community.
These vulnerable groups need special attention and they should be provided with necessary services, they opined, calling for increasing financial allocation for making the HIV prevention programme a success. The HIV-affected people can also easily contract tuberculosis (TB) for their immunity loss. TB is still a health burden on the people, for which screening is required, they remarked. Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) organised the media briefing at its Dhanmondi office with support from Save the Children.
Director General of Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) Mohammad Shah Alamgir Hossain as the chief guest attended the programme with DAM President Kazi Rafiqul Alam in the chair. Deputy Director of Save the Children Sheikh Masudul Alam presented the key-note paper at the briefing.
Deputy Director of DAM Iqbal Masud and others also spoke on the occasion. The media briefing was arranged ahead of the World AIDS Day to be observed on December 1. Citing a UNAIDS report, Sheikh Masudul Alam said globally, 36.9 million people are living with HIV and new HIV infections among adults and children were estimated at 2 million in 2014, a 35 per cent decline since the year 2000. In Bangladesh in 2014, it was estimated that 8,900 people were living with HIV and 433 new cases were detected that year. Of the total, 563 victims died.
A total of 309 children (aged 0-14 years) were found living with HIV and the estimated number of new infections among them was 63.
The children are infected mainly for mother to child transmission, Masudul Alam said. Nothing could be known about the HIV prevalence among Bangladesh’s young people.
It was estimated that 799 young people were living with HIV in 2014. The reported number of new cases of HIV in 2014 was 58. In Bangladesh, women accounted for 30 percent of the newly reported cases, added Alam.   
Shah Alamgir Hossain called for expanding coverage and quality and comprehensiveness of interventions for vulnerable people at the highest risk of HIV.
He also called for building the capacity of the government and NGOs at the national and district levels to scale up standardised and high quality interventions to monitor and improve coverage and quality and to improve coordination.