However, according to NCASC director Krishna Kumar Rai, only 16,000 HIV-infected persons have been recorded so far.[break]
Addressing a three-day seminar that kicked off in Pokhara, Rai said hundreds of HIV-infected persons have not disclosed their identities. "The number of HIV-infected persons has been increasing every year," Rai said.
According to NCASC, of the total estimated number of HIV-infected persons, 3,500 persons are below the age of 14 years. Similarly, the number of HIV-infected aged between 15 to 49 years is around 50,000. The rest of those infected are above the age of 50.
However, not all HIV-infected persons have been provided with Anti Retro Viral (ARV) that increases CD-4 cells in HIV-infected persons´ bodies. Of the total registered HIV-infected persons, only 4,500 have regularly been receiving ARV.
According to NCASC, around 5,000 persons get infected with HIV and the equal number dies of AIDS every year in Nepal. Rai said the problem of HIV/AIDS in Nepal continues unabated despite the persistent efforts of scores of non-government organizations (NGOs). "Millions of rupees are being spent to contain the epidemic of HIV/AIDS but with very little impact," he said.
According to Dipak Kumar Karki, vigilance officer at NCASC, 90 percent of HIV infected persons contract HIV through unsafe sex. "Those who go to India and Gulf countries contract HIV," Karki said. "They transmit the disease to their wives after returning home."
Rajeev Kafle, Chairman of National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal (NAPN), flayed the government for not allocating adequate budget to tackle the epidemic. "So far, 91 per cent of the total budget allocated for HIV/AIDS has been borne by NGOs," Kafle said.
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