Dailekh, December 1:

Forty-five persons died of AIDS in Dailekh’s Sinhasain Village Development Committee this year.

Addressing a programme organised to mark World HIV/AIDS Day here today, Dr Gunaraj Agasthi, Chief at District Health Office, said 60 per cent of the total population in Rakam Karnali, Sinhasan and Sigaudi VDCs had been infected with HIV. “If something is not done to check the trend immediately, a member in every household will be infected by the disease,” Dr Agasthi said. He said 20 of the HIV victims were children. Blood samples tested showed that the deadly disease had penetrated the whole district.