Although Sri Lanka has a low prevalence of AIDS compared to other countries, the government says the number of new cases has been steadily rising in recent years.
There will be 363 new AIDS cases in 2020 and 439 cases in 2019. According to the Director General of Government Information, the main reason for the significant drop in the number of reported cases in 2020 compared to 2019 has been identified due to the disruption of AIDS testing due to the restrictions imposed on Covid 19.
According to a press release issued by Mohan Samaranayake, unprotected sex has been identified as one of the main forms of AIDS transmission in Sri Lanka and there has been an increase in the number of HIV cases among male homosexuals in recent years.
“The majority of reported infections are male and the ratio is 5 male to 1 females”
December 1st of each year is designated as World AIDS Day to raise awareness around the world about AIDS-related issues. The theme of this year’s AIDS Day is “Let’s Eliminate Inequality and End AIDS and Defeat the Epidemic”.
The government informs that an appointment can be booked through the website www.know4sure.lk if you want to get tested for AIDS. Further information can be obtained from 0703 633533/0112667163 and HIV self-testing can be obtained by calling 0716379192, the Government Information Department said.