Factors facilitating the vulnerability of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh and the national responses

Abstract

In the global scenario of HIV/AIDS, Bangladesh is among those countries with a low prevalence of infection. Bangladesh initiated an early response to the HIV epidemic starting in the mid-1980s. This paper reviews available sources of data, including routine surveillance, general population surveys, and various research studies with the aim to understand the facilitating factors of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh. This paper also focuses on the national responses to HIV/AIDS considering the leadership and strategic direction, key government structure of HIV/AIDS prevention programme, national policy on HIV/AIDS/STIs related issues. Available data show that the HIV epidemic is still at relatively low level; however, there are lots of factors which may contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh. This paper finds that continuing high risk behavior among sex workers and their clients, transgender, having sex with men, injecting drug users, high rate of STIs, low condom use, extramarital and premarital sexual activity, illiteracy, low level of HIV/AIDS awareness, gender inequalities, gaps in the health care disparity all contribute to the threat of the spread of epidemic unless critical preventive efforts are initiated to avert it in the general population.