Latest Statistics on AIDS Patients in Iran

The head of the AIDS department at the Ministry of Health announced that according to estimates, over 66,000 people in Iran are infected with AIDS, of which about 35,000 have been identified. Of this number, approximately 9,500 have died. Parvin Afser Kazerooni stated on Saturday, August 12, in an interview with ILNA news agency that it is estimated that by the beginning of Farvardin this year, 66,359 people in the country were infected with AIDS. She reported that among these individuals, 34,949 have been identified as AIDS patients, and among them, 9,477 have died. Ms. Kazerooni did not mention the method of identifying AIDS patients. She also did not clarify how the statistics of AIDS patients were estimated and the reasons for the discrepancies in these figures. This health official did not specify over what period the 9,477 AIDS patients died. The head of the AIDS department also announced that of the 34,949 identified patients, 84% are male and 16% are female, with 53% of them aged between 21 and 35 years. In May 2016, Ms. Kazerooni had also stated that 30,727 AIDS patients had been identified, which constituted only 30% of the total AIDS patients, and '70% of the remaining individuals are unaware of their illness, and there is no data on other patients.' Meanwhile, Minou Mohraz, head of the AIDS Research Center, stated in 2014 that it is estimated that 100,000 people in Iran are infected with AIDS, but the official statistics from the Ministry of Health indicate that 30,000 AIDS patients have been identified in the country. In the same year, Masoud Mardani, a member of the national AIDS committee, referred to the World Health Organization's prediction that 80,000 to 90,000 people in Iran are infected with AIDS, stating that about 70,000 of them are either unaware of their infection or are hiding it. The head of the AIDS department also reported that in the past year, 12,360 AIDS patients have visited counseling centers and received care and treatment. She announced that among the visitors to the counseling centers, 9,880 are undergoing antiviral drug treatment. According to this report, there are 1,500 centers in Iran for testing and counseling about AIDS. According to Ms. Kazerooni, based on international commitments, the AIDS epidemic must be controlled by 2030, and to achieve this goal, 90% of infected individuals must be aware of their illness, and 90% of those who are aware must receive care and treatment. Health Ministry officials have repeatedly stated that the AIDS epidemic among women and the transmission of this virus through sexual relations have increased in recent years. Currently, there are 36.7 million AIDS patients worldwide, more than half of whom are under lifelong treatment.