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370,000 Brazilians infected by HIV not receiving treatment

Xinhua, December 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

A new report by Brazil's Ministry of Health estimates that around 370,000 Brazilians suffering from HIV are not getting any treatment.

The report issued Wednesday states that around 260,000 Brazilians who are aware of their condition are not being treated, while a further 112,000 are not aware they are infected, due to not exhibiting any symptoms.

In a press conference, the Ministry's director of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, Adele Benzaken, warned that it was highly urgent for patients to become aware of their condition and receive the right treatment.

Benzaken said that many patients who are not getting treatment are in denial about the virus, refusing to accept their condition.

"Young men can deny their HIV condition. It is more difficult for them to accept than for people over 50," she explained.

The government assumes that 827,000 people are HIV-positive across Brazil, with 715,000 having been diagnosis and 455,000 in treatment.

Of those in treatment, around 410,000 patients show very small amounts of the virus, present very low possibilities of transmission and maintain a good quality of life.

On Thursday, the world will celebrate World Aids Day, seeking to draw global attention to the measures to be taken to avoid the spread of the virus and raise treatment rates. Enditem