Jubbaland state has for the first time revealed the number HIV patients in the administrative capital, Kismayo.
Ali Abdullahi, head of HIV department of Jubbaland’s ministry of Heath said the department has registered forty five people who are living with HIV/ Aids in Kismayo.
He pointed out that the ministry had information about several other people living with the disease in Gedo lower and Middle Jubba regions.
“Though the number could be higher, so far we have registered 45 patients in Kismayo town, there are also other people who are carriers and live in other regions of Jubbaland state,” said Abdullahi.
The official called on the residents of Jubbaland state to know their status and abstain from all the things that might transmitte or spread the disease.
The exact number of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Somalia is unknown
Many hospital in Somalia do not offer free treatment to HIV positive Patients.
Despite the efforts by government and local organizations to create awareness, Somali people associate HIV/AIDS with promiscuity.
The country’s health system has been weak since 1990s when the civil war broke out.
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