A concerning trend has emerged in the HIV data, with 70 percent of the new cases being men, while 30 percent are women.

This has been highlighted by Head of Family Health Doctor Rachel Devi.

In the first six months of this year, the ministry recorded 552 new HIV cases, a figure that is expected to rise as more comprehensive testing is conducted.

Doctor Devi says there has been a shift in the demographics, as previously the statistics were 50 percent men and 50 percent women; however, this has changed.

She says that the higher prevalence of HIV among men could be driven by various factors that may not yet be fully understood.

The ministry warns that these initial numbers may only represent the tip of the iceberg.

“One of the things that we’ve seen, in terms of sex and race. For example, we’re seeing almost 70%; I give an estimate, we’re seeing about 70% males and around 30% females. That is a trend we never seen before. For instance, about two, or three years ago, we used to see almost 50–50%. And now we’re seeing that 70% among males and 30% around females. There could be something happening there that we’re not seeing.”

The Ministry of Health anticipates a significant increase in new HIV cases as it ramps up nationwide screening, testing, and care enrollment efforts.

Meanwhile, Doctor Devi says that children at the age of one have also tested positive for HIV, which is because of the mother-to-child transmission.