The health minister met the media to discuss its role in spreading awareness and educating on HIV/AIDS

The meeting was basically an interactive session where health officials and media professionals exchanged views and ideas.

Speaking at the meeting, the health minister, lyonpo Zanglay Drukpa said: “the only vaccine to prevent the spread of HIV is through education”.

He said that as responsible and proud citizens every one must be concerned and help spread the message in the fight against the disease.

He added that pregnant mothers should test for HIV so that a child do not have to go through the sufferings.

HIV/AIDS is no longer a dreaded disease belived to exist in other foreign lands. The reality has struck home, and hard, as more than some hundred people are already living with HIV. Some have died of AIDS.

Numerous awareness campaigns have been conducted across the country to create awareness and to educate people over the past years.

HIV/AIDS has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Since its discovery in 1981, AIDS has killed millions of people around the world.

Highly infected are the African countries followed by the South Asian region where Bhutan is located, that increases the vulnerability.

Report from the health ministry states that worldwide 33.4 million people are living with HIV as of 2008.

 In Bhutan, the first two cases were reported in 1993 and the latest reported figure is 185. However, the number is estimated to be more as the figure stated comes only from those who have tested for HIV.

The ministry is giving the antiretroviral treatment people living with HIV.

Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all the countries.

With the launch of Multi Sectoral Task Force in 2002 in the dzongkhags, the measures are intensified to educate the people in the light of HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) as a whole.

 HIV is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse, from men to men, men to women, women to men or women to women. it is also transmitted through blood transfusion or from a pregnant mother to child.