Bangladesh is still considered as a low HIV/AIDS prevalent country

New York:“Bangladesh is still considered as a low HIV/AIDS prevalent country. There are 2088 HIV-positive and 850 full-blown AIDS-infected patients in the country and that HIV prevalence in the adult population is less than 0.01%” stated the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Professor Dr. A.F.M  Ruhal Haque while he was delivering Bangladesh statement at the High-level meeting on the comprehensive review of the progress achieved in realizing the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS 8 June at the General Assembly at UN-HQ.He also said that the underlying causes of the epidemic include poverty, gender inequality and high mobility of the population, all of which are present in Bangladesh, a densely populated country with about 150 million inhabitants. The Minister informed the session that through girls’ education and gender-based development movements, Bangladesh has made progress in promoting gender equality in the past two decades.He urged  the developed countries to enhance financial support to the developing countries, including through capacity building and eliminating barriers like intellectual property rights, thereby lowering cost of medicines or making them affordable, to enhance their preventive capacity to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS. He also called for global initiative to have access to generic ARTs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon inaugurated the General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS this morning. In his speech , Ban said that “Looking back, there is much we could have done differently.  Looking ahead, there are also proud accomplishments that this General Assembly can build on.”

From its birth, the campaign against AIDS was much more than a battle against disease.  It was a cry for human rights.  It was a call for gender equality.  It was a fight to end discrimination based on sexual orientation.  And it was a demand for the equal treatment of all people.Health Secretary,  Humayun Kabir and director (PMO), Dr Baizid Khoorshid Riaz attended the meeting with the Health Minister at the UN.