Concerns Raised by Head of AIDS Research Center About HIV Transmission Status in Iran

Dr. Minou Mohraz, head of the AIDS Research Center in Iran, states that if sexual transmission of HIV continues at the "current status," there is a possibility that the general population infected with it could exceed one percent in the near future, reaching "phase three of its outbreak." On March 4, she told the IRNA news agency that the current population infected with HIV in Iran has passed the first phase of the outbreak and is now in the second phase. She then warned that the current progression may expose the country to "phase three," which indicates a high prevalence. The head of the AIDS Research Center in Iran explains that the three existing phases are: an outbreak between one percent - the first phase or lower - then a "concentrated outbreak above five percent," which includes increased prevalence among a specific group with "risky behaviors," and finally the third social phase where prevalence in the entire community exceeds one percent. Minou Mohraz says, "If the situation of sexual transmission of HIV continues like this and the pattern of sexual HIV infection expands, we may soon reach phase three, which is a prevalence above one percent in the general population, and this is a significant risk." She also emphasized that "unfortunately, the transmission of the HIV virus has shifted towards sexual transmission." Mohraz explains this issue by stating that "young people do not have sufficient awareness about this topic" and at the same time, "education, media, and families do not provide much training about the methods of sexual transmission of HIV to young people." Another issue that the head of the AIDS Research Center in Iran has warned about is that in recent years, "the use of psychoactive substances" has also added to previous problems. She has also called for at least "preventive measures against virus transmission to be made available to young people." Previously, in December, the Iranian Ministry of Health reported identifying "33,000 people infected with the HIV virus" in Iran. According to this ministry, in the first half of the current solar year, 43 percent of the transmission of this virus was through sexual contact. AIDS is a disease that affects the immune system and may remain hidden in the body for years without the infected person being aware of it. According to studies by the "Global Burden of Disease," by 2015, the number of people infected with AIDS worldwide had reached nearly 39 million; between 1981 and 1997, AIDS rose from the 39th cause of death among citizens globally to the 11th cause. Between 1998 and 2005, the number of people who died due to AIDS increased. However, from 2005 to 2015, advancements in preventing its spread, especially from mother to child, have reduced the number of deaths globally.