NAYARANGADH: HIV/AIDS has claimed 15 lives in Chitwan in the past two years. According to the data maintained by Bharatpur Hospital, the deaths occurred between September 18, 2007 and November 15, 2009.

Hospital representative Ramraj Luitel revealed at a programme

organised by Nepal Family

Planning Association (FPA) Chitwan that of the deceased, 11 were adult males, 3 adult females and one child under 14 years of age.

According to Luitel, tests conducted at the hospital in the period found 370 persons infected with HIV. Besides providing Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART), the hospital has been delivering HIV test and counselling services to the people for free since 18 September, 2007. As many as 132 persons receive ART from the hospital regularly. FPA, Chitwan Active Group (CAG), Sahabhagi and Human Awareness Society (HAS) also provide counselling and HIV test free of cost in Bharatpur. CAG, however, provides these services in 10 VDCs of the district through mobile camps. Diksha Rimal, chairperson of the Group, said one child, nine adult males and four adult females were found to have been infected with the killer virus among 1,970 tests carried out between February and November 15 this year.

Similarly, 194 of the 1,242 persons were found HIV positive, depending on tests carried out by FPA in its Bharatpur clinic in the last five years. Laxman Poudel, FPA manager in Bharatpur, said 65 of the infected were sex buyers, 35 housewives and 94 male drug-users. Sahabhagi, in its 810 tests, found 7 females and 11 males infected with HIV while HAS found six adult males and one girl child infected.

Speaking in the programme, Ramhari Neupane, coordinator, District AIDS Coordination Committee Chitwan, said though the exact data of HIV infected was lacking, an estimated 500 people are living with HIV in the district. He said Nepal is home to about 72,000 HIV-infected, though only 14,700 cases are verified.