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Exact number of persons infected with hepatitis C virus is unknown

01 December 2012 11:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Kamala Guliyeva – APA-Economics. “Exact number of persons infected with Hepatitis C virus is unknown in Azerbaijan. But, 62.4% of HIV infected persons has Hepatitis C Virus”, said the UNAIDS country officer Jamila Jarrahova at the press conference on World AIDS Day.

She noted that increase of infecting of HIV infected persons with Hepatitis C Virus was caused by usage of non-sterile instruments by injecting drug users: “Official statistics of injection norms in Azerbaijan does not reflect reality. This digit exceeds the official statistics by at least 5-7 times. At present, there are near 16,000 injecting drug users in Azerbaijan, who were officially registered”.

Jarrahova said that Hepatitis C is not treatable disease like HIV. A course of treatment in serious stage of this disease will require more than AZN 10,000. But, the government does not allocate funds for treatment of persons infected with this virus.

According to her, non of state bodies can be responsible to the funds of such treatment: “Therefore, world practice must be applied in Azerbaijan too. I think, the best way is that, the Ministry of Health must conduct reforms and compulsory medial insurance must be applied”.