Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Two hundred and thirty-one people were diagnosed with AIDS while 37 of them died in last one year in Bangladesh, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque said on Wednesday.
The minister also said 343 HIV positive patients were diagnosed last year taking the total number of the affected to 2,088. The total number of AIDS patients in the country now stands at 850, he added.
The minister was speaking at a seminar on Wednesday organized by the National AIDS-STD Program (NASP) of the health ministry at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka marking the World AIDS Day.
In 2009, 143 people were diagnosed with the deadly disease and 39 died across the country. At least 241 died since 1989 when the first AIDS patient in the country was diagnosed, according to reports.
BBN/SSR/AD-02Dec10-1:24 am (BST)