The Kingdom will join the international community on Monday to observe the AIDS Awareness Day, urging global cooperation to counter the virus.
“This day is devoted to raising awareness of this epidemic and encourage efforts to prevent, treat and care for patients afflicted with HIV,” the Ministry of Health announced.
The ministry also stressed the need to exercise the utmost care for patients in countries with rising numbers of AIDS patients.
Around 2.1 million new cases were registered in 2013 bringing the total number of people with the infection to 35 million by the end of that year. An estimated 1.5 million have lost their lives due to AIDS since the first HIV-related death was reported.
In the Kingdom, the number of AIDS cases was estimated at 20,539 since the beginning of 1984 until the end of 2013, according to the ministry.
The majority of the cases in the Kingdom comprised non-Saudis at 14,649 as opposed to 5,890 Saudis.
The ministry noted that there was an increase of 26 percent in the number of HIV cases among Saudis in 2012 compared to 18 percent in 2011.
Around 1,777 new HIV cases were registered in 2013, including 542 Saudis and 1,235 non-Saudis. Among the 524 Saudis, 79 percent were between the ages of 15-49 whereas the ratio of men to women was 5:1.
Arab News
