Since 1988, World AIDS Day has been celebrated annually on December 1. People all over the world unite to show support to people living with HIV or affected by HIV infection in one way or another, and remember those who died from AIDS-related diseases.          

According to statistics, more than 300 cases of HIV infection were detected in Astana in 2022, most of them, or 72%, are men. The majority of HIV-infected people identified in Astana are people aged 20-39 years. Despite the mass information work on prevention, the number of cases has grown. In almost 90 percent of cases, they became sexually infected. Moreover, if earlier HIV was most often detected in drug addicts, sex workers, now the social portrait of a person with HIV has changed.

HIV infection is transmitted only in three ways — sexually, perinatal (from a mother with HIV to a child) and parenteral (intravenous administration of medication). In the latter case, this can happen when the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes is violated, drug use, medical manipulations. Therefore, in this post I would like to focus special attention on prevention, these are: to observe healthy lifestyle, to abandon promiscuous and unprotected sexual acts, to have your own personal hygiene items: razors, manicure accessories, it is advisable to take an HIV test before marriage, to conduct seminars among schoolchildren and students.

The teaching staff of the Department of "Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology" conducts medical and diagnostic work in the detection and control of HIV infection, as well as advises patients in Astana. Every year on December 1, the department holds an event among 3rd year students dedicated to the World AIDS Day.

Author: Assistant of the Department of "Infectious Diseases and Clinical Epidemiology" of "MUA" NJSC, infectious diseases doctor Nurbolat Gulim Nurbolatkyzy