DUSHANBE, April 21, 2010, Asia-Plus -- To-date, 40 HIV-infected prison inmates have been registered in Tajikistan, Bahrom Abdulhaqov, the deputy head of the penal department within the Tajik Ministry of Justice, told reporters on April 21 on sidelines of the ongoing 3 rd Central Asian Forum on infectious diseases and drug use in prison settings.

According to him, a total number of HIV sufferers among prison inmates and those who already served sentences and were released is 178.  “The released HIV-infected prisoners are now under the supervision of the Ministry of Health, while the remaining 40 HIV-infected prison inmates are undergoing medical treatment in prisons,” Abdulhaqov said.  

In the meantime, the Deputy Health Minister, Azamjon Mirzoyev, noted that 156 new HIV infection cases have been registered in the country over the first three month of this year, bringing a total number people living with HIV in Tajikistan to 2009.

“In Dushanbe alone, 772 HIV sufferers have been registered to this day, 452 HIV infection cases have been registered in Sughd province, 387 in Khatlon province, 252 in districts subordinate to the center and 146 in Gorno Badakhshan,” the deputy minister said.      

Since 1991, when the first HIV infection case was registered in Tajikistan, 256 HIV sufferers, or 12 percent of the overall number of people living with HIV in Tajikistan, have died, he noted.

According to him, injecting drug users (IDUs) constitute 54.4 percent of people living with HIV in the country.