The Ministry of Health is targeting zero, mother to child, transmission of HIV infection by 2015. The Health Ministry detected 297 HIV positive cases from 1993 till date. Of that, 26 were a case of mother to child transmission.
The health ministry will come up with Voluntary Counselling testing for HIV to outreach clinics in remote parts of the country that will focus on pregnant women.
“It is rather an ambitious goal but as we say that if we have set a goal then we can at least reach it if you are able to grasp it,” said Director General of Public Health, Dr. Dorji Wangchuk.
He said it is not just catching up and get to zero. “It is also asking every to come and do test and take prevention.”
The UN resident coordinator, Claire Van der Vaeren, said although Bhutan has low population of HIV infection, there has been steady increase in new cases over a decade.
“Only last month six new cases were detected with ages ranging from 9 to 39 years old. This is not a reflection of lack of effort. Rather it is a sign of the significant effort made to get people tested and treated on the one hand,” she said. But on the other hand, she said, it is also a stark reminder and a stark warning that we must press on with precaution and tackle the problem openly.
