Currently, around 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS receive regular treatment in hospitals under the Ministry of Health. Around 40 cases among children are currently under treatment, according to data presented this Sunday during an awareness event entitled “The fight against AIDS, a societal responsibility”.
This event is organized by the ministry in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). During this conference, organized on the occasion of World AIDS Day, participants reassured that the number of people living with HIV has been relatively stable in recent years. The Tunisian and foreign experts present took stock of this disease in Tunisia and around the world.
The data presented reveals that the total number of people infected in Tunisia is around 7,000 cases. However, the problem lies in the existence of many unreported infections, either because those affected are unaware of their symptoms or because they are hesitant to reveal their status due to various factors, including stigma.
Although infection indicators are relatively stable in Tunisia, experts stressed that this does not mark the end of the fight against this disease. They insisted on the need to continue efforts to encourage prevention, raise awareness of the risks and promote ways to avoid infection.
Regarding the modes of transmission, the participants recall that the main causes of infection, in Tunisia as elsewhere, remain unprotected sexual intercourse and drug consumption.
This event entitled “The fight against AIDS, a societal responsibility”, organized for several years by the Ministry of Health, is part of joint efforts to raise awareness of this disease and its repercussions on health and society .
It aims to mobilize the logistical and human resources necessary to succeed in this mission, in collaboration with several actors from civil society and specialized regional and international organizations.
The objective of this event is to strengthen communication in public health matters, to better direct media coverage to highlight this disease, its means of prevention and control strategies.
The Ministry of Health, in partnership, organizes more than 20,000 awareness, screening and information activities on this disease each year. Furthermore, an exhibition was held at the Cité de la Culture to highlight the efforts deployed at the national and regional level by health institutions and civil society associations active in the fight against AIDS.
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