YEREVAN. – A total of 1,359 HIV infection cases are registered in Armenia from 1988 until Friday, November 30, 201; 206 of them are recorded in the eleven months of 2012, and this is the largest number as compared with all the previous years. Health Ministry’s National Center for AIDS Prevention (NCAP) Director Samvel Grigoryan said this during a press conference on Friday.   

In his words, however, the estimated number of people living in Armenia with HIV could be 3,500 because many do not consult with doctors and do not know about their health status.  

He noted that most of the registered patients with the HIV virus are male, with 954, and the rest, with 405, are female. Also, 26 cases of HIV infection were recorded among children. At the time of diagnosis, 56.4 percent of the HIV-infected was 25-39 years old.

According to the NCAP Director, 302 registered HIV/AIDS patients—including 49 women and 5 children—died in the country ever since the beginning of the disease.

Also, Samvel Grigoryan informed that the most number of HIV cases in Armenia is registered among residents of capital city Yerevan, with Shirak Region coming in second place. 

To note, Saturday, December 1, is World AIDS Day.