Heterosexual is still the dominant mode of HIV transmission
The existence of gay and bisexual men has long been known. The Bhutanese community accept it quietly and do not criticise or make an issue. It is not considered a sin by religious standards, people are not socially dishonored and no punishment is meted out.
People are not discriminated according to their sexual preferences although some levels of stigma do prevail in the form of crude jokes.
Even after the emergence of HIV as a major health problem among gay and bisexual men in the west, it has not impacted the situation in Bhutan because heterosexual route is still the dominant mode of HIV transmission in Bhutan.
Heterosexual continues to be the predominant mode of HIV transmission making 90 percent of the total reported cases followed by Mother-to-child Transmission (MTCT). Transmission through intravenous drug use and blood transfusion is not significant. The latest integrated bio-behavioural survey shows that the HIV prevalence among vulnerable populations such as men who have sex with men, intravenous drugs users and female high-risk woman is also low.
The cases are almost equally distributed in the sexes, 51 percent in male and 49 percent in female; this also underscores the level of vulnerabilities to HIV for both male as well as female. Housewives constitute the maximum number of the cases reported with almost 47 percent of the total infected females being housewives.
Recently, men having sex with men emerged as an important agenda after they were identified as being a part of the key affected population and was considered to be at higher risk for HIV infection.
As of December 2016, there are 515 cases of HIV reported in the country out of which 250 are male and 265 female. The cases are mostly concentrated, 88 percent, in the younger age group 20-49 years and five percent of the total reported cases are above 50 years of age, including one who is 74 years old.
Currently 35 cases of Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) have been reported and 90 percent of the total reported cases are attributable to unsafe sexual practice followed by eight percent Mother-to-Child transmission.
Contract tracing followed by routine medical screening and Voluntary Counseling Testing (VCT) are the predominant mode of HIV diagnosis. There are 390 people living with HIV living outside the country and 99 have died. A total of 250 people have been enrolled on life-long Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) of which, 29 have died while on treatment.
As per report of Care, support and treatment (CST) unit at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) 86 death cases were reported due to AIDS related complications. Most of these were because of late diagnosis and at advanced stage of HIV infection when body immunity was weak with CD4 cell count below 100 cells/mm3.
Most of the cases are concentrated in Thimphu and Phuntsholing in the western region followed by Samdrupjongkhar and Pemagatshel in the east. 80 percent of the reported death cases were due to complications with other co-infections like Tuberculosis, Chronic Liver disease, Pneumonia culminating in multi organ failure.
29 death among the total registered deaths occurred among those on life-long anti-retroviral treatment (ART), the analysis of these death reveal poor compliance and non-adherence to treatment as the cause of treatment failure. One death is recorded in India and others were caused by injury related complications.
The average CD4 count (body immunity) in the total reported cases is 300 cell/mm3, which signifies that cases were detected late after the infection, mostly during the advanced AIDS stage, which in average takes around 5-10 years depending on individual’s body immunity.
The existence of gay and bisexual men has long been known. The Bhutanese community accept it quietly and do not criticise or make an issue. It is not considered a sin by religious standards, people are not socially dishonored and no punishment is meted out.
People are not discriminated according to their sexual preferences although some levels of stigma do prevail in the form of crude jokes.
Even after the emergence of HIV as a major health problem among gay and bisexual men in the west, it has not impacted the situation in Bhutan because heterosexual route is still the dominant mode of HIV transmission in Bhutan.
Heterosexual continues to be the predominant mode of HIV transmission making 90 percent of the total reported cases followed by Mother-to-child Transmission (MTCT). Transmission through intravenous drug use and blood transfusion is not significant. The latest integrated bio-behavioural survey shows that the HIV prevalence among vulnerable populations such as men who have sex with men, intravenous drugs users and female high-risk woman is also low.
The cases are almost equally distributed in the sexes, 51 percent in male and 49 percent in female; this also underscores the level of vulnerabilities to HIV for both male as well as female. Housewives constitute the maximum number of the cases reported with almost 47 percent of the total infected females being housewives.
Recently, men having sex with men emerged as an important agenda after they were identified as being a part of the key affected population and was considered to be at higher risk for HIV infection.
As of December 2016, there are 515 cases of HIV reported in the country out of which 250 are male and 265 female. The cases are mostly concentrated, 88 percent, in the younger age group 20-49 years and five percent of the total reported cases are above 50 years of age, including one who is 74 years old.
Currently 35 cases of Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) have been reported and 90 percent of the total reported cases are attributable to unsafe sexual practice followed by eight percent Mother-to-Child transmission.
Contract tracing followed by routine medical screening and Voluntary Counseling Testing (VCT) are the predominant mode of HIV diagnosis. There are 390 people living with HIV living outside the country and 99 have died. A total of 250 people have been enrolled on life-long Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) of which, 29 have died while on treatment.
As per report of Care, support and treatment (CST) unit at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) 86 death cases were reported due to AIDS related complications. Most of these were because of late diagnosis and at advanced stage of HIV infection when body immunity was weak with CD4 cell count below 100 cells/mm3.
Most of the cases are concentrated in Thimphu and Phuntsholing in the western region followed by Samdrupjongkhar and Pemagatshel in the east. 80 percent of the reported death cases were due to complications with other co-infections like Tuberculosis, Chronic Liver disease, Pneumonia culminating in multi organ failure.
29 death among the total registered deaths occurred among those on life-long anti-retroviral treatment (ART), the analysis of these death reveal poor compliance and non-adherence to treatment as the cause of treatment failure. One death is recorded in India and others were caused by injury related complications.
The average CD4 count (body immunity) in the total reported cases is 300 cell/mm3, which signifies that cases were detected late after the infection, mostly during the advanced AIDS stage, which in average takes around 5-10 years depending on individual’s body immunity.
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