Rajshahi, Nov 08 (V7N) — At least 28 people, including one transgender person, have tested positive for HIV in Rajshahi over the past ten months, while one patient has died from AIDS during the same period. Most of the newly infected individuals are between 20 and 35 years old, raising serious concern among health professionals about the growing spread of the virus among young people.

According to medical officials at the Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) Hospital’s HIV Testing and Counseling Center (HTC), the rate of HIV infection has risen sharply in recent years, with cases increasing more rapidly in 2024 and 2025. Data show that since 2019, a total of 93 people in the district have tested positive for HIV, and eight have died of AIDS.

Health experts report that homosexual contact has now become the dominant mode of HIV transmission in the region, surpassing infections linked to sex workers. In 2025 alone, out of 28 new HIV-positive cases, 17 were transmitted through same-sex contact, 10 through heterosexual contact involving sex workers, and one through blood transfusion. Of the new cases, 25 are men, two are women, and one is a transgender person.

RMC’s HTC Center currently tests around 10 to 15 people daily for HIV. Those who test positive receive immediate counseling and advice about treatment options. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not yet available at the Rajshahi facility, patients are referred to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogura, where treatment and medications are provided free of charge.

Records show that in 2019, none of the 77 tested samples were HIV positive. The following year, two positive cases were detected out of 321 samples. In 2021, eight people tested positive out of 1,527, with one death. The number rose to eight out of 2,031 in 2022, and 24 out of 2,360 in 2023 — the year with the highest death toll of three AIDS patients. In 2024, 27 positive cases were recorded among 3,532 tests, with three more deaths.

Counselors at the HTC Center said that many HIV-positive individuals struggle with severe mental distress after diagnosis. Some experience suicidal thoughts or harmful impulses, underscoring the need for continuous counseling. One patient, speaking anonymously, said, “After learning I was HIV-positive, I felt broken and hopeless. But regular counseling helped me cope, and with proper medication, I’m living a normal life.”

Dr. Ibrahim Md. Sharaf, focal person of the HTC Center at RMC Hospital, stated that unprotected sexual activity remains the primary cause of HIV transmission, both through heterosexual and homosexual relations. He added that the virus can also spread from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

He emphasized prevention through consistent and correct condom use, maintaining monogamous relationships, avoiding untested blood transfusions, refraining from sharing needles, and ensuring regular medical check-ups. He also mentioned that plans are underway to establish an ART Center at RMC Hospital soon, which would allow HIV patients from Rajshahi and nearby districts to receive free medication locally without traveling to Bogura.

Counselor Rezaul Karim added that since testing began in 2019, a total of 12,464 samples have been examined, with 93 confirmed HIV-positive cases. “We are working to strengthen counseling and expand treatment availability,” he said. “Once the ART Center is operational, it will be a major step forward in supporting HIV patients in this region.”

END/MRA/SMA/