PHNOM PENH: About four people in Cambodia become infected with HIV every day, the National AIDS Authority said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 14).
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
"Approximately 1,400 people become newly infected with HIV per year or about four people per day," the statement said, urging people, particularly teenagers, to avoid sexual misconduct on the Valentine's Day.
"Forty-two per cent of the newly infected people are youth aged between 15 and 24 years old," it added.
According to the statement, currently, there are some 76,000 people in the South-East Asian country living with HIV.
Ieng Mouly, senior minister and chairman of the National AIDS Authority, said recently that Cambodia was committed to ending AIDS as a public health threat and to meeting the 95-95-95 targets by 2025.
The targets mean that 95 per cent of the people who are living with HIV knowing their HIV status, 95 per cent of the people who know that they are living with HIV being on lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and 95 per cent of people who are on treatment being virally suppressed.
"Cambodia had already achieved a response rate of 86-99-98 by the end of 2022," he said.
In Cambodia, the first HIV infections were detected and diagnosed in 1991 and the first AIDS case was found in 1993. - Xinhua
