Specialists fear a rebound in the HIV-AIDS infection rate in Burkina Faso where 2,600 deaths due to this pandemic were recorded last year.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, celebrated every December 1, the National Center for the Fight against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (CNLST-IST) warned of the risks of a rebound of this disease in Burkina, after a report reporting 2,600 HIV-related deaths in 2023.
“In terms of new infections, we have recorded, this year alone, 1,900 new infected people. And when you take these new infections, most of them are young people », indicated Dr Salam Dermé, Head of the health department at SP-CNLS-IST.
For him, this is explained by an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 0.6%, including 0.7% among women and 0.4% among men.
“In 2023, an estimated 95,000 adults and children were living with HIV including 55,000 women, 31,000 men and 9,500 children under 14, HIV-related deaths were estimated at 2,600, HIV orphans were at number of 86,000,” said Dr Seydou Ouattara, permanent secretary of the CNLST-IST.
World AIDS Day, commemorated on a delayed basis, aims to promote equitable access to healthcare services.
Globally, according to Dr Ouattara, more than 39.9 million people live with HIV, 9.3 million of whom still do not have access to life-saving treatment.
Ds/Sf/ac/APA
