Chitwan, Sept. 2

The number of people coming out in open with their HIV/AIDS status in Chitwan is increasing, thanks to the increasing opportunities for medication and social acceptance.

As per the latest statistics by various organizations working in the sector, 90 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have come out in the open in the past eight months. The number was 75 as of August 2014.

It was only 40 in August 2013, according to coordinator of AIDS Health Foundation, Bharatpur Hospital Krishna Hari Sapkota.

According to Sapkota, the total number of people who have dared to come out in the open despite the social stigma attached to it has reached 1,240. Of them 631 are receiving the anti-retroviral treatment. These include 280 women, 280 men, 60 children and three of other gender.

The number of HIV infected in the district is believed to be around 2,000, adds Sapkota.