Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The number of HIV cases in Saudi Arabia is receding with a drop of 4 percent in 2017, the Health Ministry has announced.

The ministry made the announcement on the occasion of the World AIDS Day on Sunday.

It said the decrease was 5 percent over the number of cases in 2016.

According to the ministry, there are three AIDS cases for every 10,000 Saudis. The cases are mostly between 15-49 years of age. The ministry said the rate of the infections among men compared to women were 4 to 1. It said the main cause of HIV infection was unprotected sex.

It also said the transfer of the fatal disease among married couples represented about 97 percent of infections.

The ministry has launched a comprehensive program titled Mashwara (consultation) to enlighten young men and women against the hazards of the disease and the ways and means of avoiding it.

It said it has been implementing plans and strategies of prevention and cure to stop the appearance of any new cases.

The ministry also said it has been giving utmost medical care to HIV carriers and AIDS patients and their families.

«We are applying the Mashwara initiative in a number of hospitals and health centers all over the Kingdom,» it said.