National AIDS/STD Programme (NASP)

The National AIDS/STD Programme (NASP) is one of the wings of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW) responsible for coordinating with all stakeholders and development partners involved in HIV/AIDS programme activities throughout the country.

World AIDS Day 2007 Rally

HIV/AIDS: Bangladesh Situation

In Bangladesh the first case of HIV was detected in 1989. Till December 2008, there were 1495 reported cases of HIV and 476 cases of AIDS, among them 165 died. By definition Bangladesh is a low prevalence country (The last surveillance conducted in 2007 found national prevalence of HIV < 1%), but there are significant level of risky behavior that makes our country vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

National survey data indicates that HIV incidence among IDUs in Dhaka (central Bangladesh) jumped from 1.4% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2005, with prevalence rates as high as 8.9% in one location in Dhaka. Nearly 70% of IDUs in Central Bangladesh routinely share needles: a rate comparable to countries enduring much more severe epidemics. IDUs are also at a serious risk of spreading the disease into the general population as they sell their blood to blood banks and visit commercial sex workers. One out of five IDUs engage in commercial sex and fewer than one in ten reported consistent condom use during paid sex.

Bangladesh has a substantial commercial sex industry, claiming the highest client turn-over rate in South Asia. Prevalence among sex workers remains low at less than 1%; however, 82% of Bangladeshi sex workers report also selling sex in India or Myanmar, countries with much higher HIV rates. Consistent condom use during paid sex is rare. Depending on the region, between 0% and 12% of sex workers reported using condoms with new clients. Currently, though the prevalence rates of syphilis among female sex workers have decreased and are now less than 10% in most areas of Bangladesh.

Results from a national baseline survey led by Save the Children and funded by GFATM highlighted serious misconceptions related to the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS among young people. Only 2.2% of males and 1.1% of females perceived themselves at risk of contracting HIV, while survey results showed risky sexual behavior and low condom use to be common among the same youth.