Sudanese Health Ministry says, 19,000 AIDS patients in Khartoum

Hemeida said that the Health Ministry registers 1,500 new AIDS infections in the Sudanese capital every year

Sudanese Health Ministry says, 19,000 AIDS patients in Khartoum
There are 19,000 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, a Sudanese health official said Sunday.

"Around 19,000 people have contracted the deadly virus in Khartoum so far," Maamoun Hemeida, the health chief in the Sudanese capital, which is inhabited by 8 million people, said.

He told the pro-government Al-Shorouk channel that the Health Ministry registers 1,500 new AIDS infections in the Sudanese capital every year.

Hemeida referred to the presence of 70 AIDS treatment center across Khartoum.

"We make efforts to keep the lid on the spread of the disease," the health official said.

Sudanese authorities said earlier that 206 centers opened their doors across Sudan to offer free AIDS tests and treatment for patients.

Around 9,000 Sudanese had contracted AIDS in 2013, including 5,000 youths and children, according to Sudan's National AIDS Program.

Around 77,000 people had already been registered as carrying the virus across Sudan before 2013, the program added.

Anadolu Agency
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