Oman sees rising number of HIV cases

Oman has reported an alarming rise in the number of patients infected with HIV, with eight cases reported each week, local media reports.

According to Oman News, there were over 3,580 HIV cases recorded last year. Of those, 1,960 passed away.

Jalila Al-Noamaniya, Senior Infectious Diseases Nurse at the Royal Hospital said that the sultanate has reported an increase in the number of infections, with cases having increased since 2010 by more than 41 per cent, largely due to lack of awareness.

She also added that some cases included school students under the age of 18 who had been raped.

In September Oman became the 16th country in the world and the first in the East Mediterranean region to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. The sultanate’s accomplishment was recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and was awarded a certification of validation.

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