DUSHANBE, April 17, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan is provided with medications to treat infection by retroviruses, primarily HIV, for five years, Murodali Ruziyev, Director of Republican AIDS-Prevention Center, said in an interview with Asia-plus.  

According to him, the medications have been purchased due to an $11.7million grant awarded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).  

“Annually, from $1,500 to $5,000 are spent on one HIV sufferer, depending on his/her health condition,” Ruziyev noted.  

He added that one of the main problems is poor AIDS awareness among the population.  According to him, nine AIDS-prevention centers now operate across the republic: Dushanbe has two such centers and Khujand, Kulob, Qurghon Teppa, Rudaki, Vahdat and Tursunzoda have one center each.   

Standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) consists of the use of at least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease. Huge reductions have been seen in rates of death and suffering when use is made of a potent ARV regimen.            

According to Ruziyev, a total of 710 Tajik nationals, including 586 men and 124 women, have been officially registered as having HIV to date.  In 2006 alone, 204 new cases of HIV infection were registered in Tajikistan and 33 people died of the disease last year.  In all, 55 people in Tajikistan have died of HIV/ADIS since 1992.