The health authorities categorised Sirajganj as a ‘red zone’ for HIV/AIDS past week as the number of human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients has increased sharply in Sirajganj in the past few years.
According to the ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) Centre at Sirajganj General Hospital, HIV testing in the district began on February 20, 2020. Since then, the number of detected cases has steadily increased. The number of people tested positive for HIV was 4 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 69 in 2022, 136 in 2023–2024, and 38 so far this year, the centre said.
With these, the number of HIV-positive patients in Sirajganj stood at 255, including 26 deaths reported to date.
According to data from the district’s HIV Centre, of the 255 people diagnosed with HIV, 73 per cent was injectable drug users.
Doctors attributed the rise in infections to the sharing of injection needles, concealment of infection, lack of awareness among youths and unprotected sexual relationships.
Health officials said that the disease was spreading mainly through illegally imported narcotic injections from neighbouring India.
Authorities are providing the affected individuals with free treatment, medicine and counselling and law enforcement agencies claimed to be conducting regular drives to reduce the use of injectable drugs.
Masud Rana, counsellor and administrator at the ART Centre, said that among the 255 infected, 187 were injectable drug users, 29 were students from colleges and the National University, 35 were general people, and four were sex workers.
Due to the situation, Sirajganj has been officially categorised as a ‘red zone’ for HIV/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, he said.
Akikun Nahar, superintendent of Sirajganj General Hospital, said that most of the injectable drug users came from low-income groups.
HM Mostafizur Rahman, assistant director of the Department of Narcotics Control in Sirajganj, said that regular operations were under way to arrest those involved in the illegal trade of injectable drugs.
In the past two years, officials seized nearly 1,900 ampoules of injectable narcotics during various raids.
Sirajganj superintendent of police Faruk Hossain stated that the ongoing anti-drug campaign would be further intensified to help prevent the spread of AIDS.