Introduction
HIV is a virus which is responsible for destroying the body’s immune system [Citation1]. HIV/AIDS is one of the world’s most complex health and socio-economic issues, with negative effects on individuals, communities, and societies. Over the last two decades, it has become increasingly concentrated among marginalised populations in developing countries like Bangladesh. Bangladesh, a country in South Asia, is working to combat and prevent severe diseases like diarrhoea and tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS is now seen as one of the diseases that poses the greatest threat to the people [Citation2]. Since the 1970s, Bangladesh has been home to Rohingya people who fled persecution in Myanmar. Some refugees returned to Myanmar in the 1970s and 1990s after agreements with the government, but others remained in Bangladesh. In 2017, over six years after their mass flight from Myanmar, Rohingya refugees are still settling in Bangladesh [Citation3].
The current state and future outlook of the HIV epidemic
AIDS was first discovered in Los Angeles, California, in 1981. Thailand was the first country in Asia to report a case of AIDS in 1984, followed by Myanmar and the Indian subcontinent by 1986 [Citation4–6]. In the two years following that, in 1989, AIDS was first detected in Bangladesh [Citation1]. The Bangladesh government had been proactive even before this first outbreak, and had established the National Guides Advisory group in 1985 in anticipation of a plague. In 1997, the GoB established a comprehensive plan for tracking down and treating STIs like HIV/AIDS [Citation7]. According to the National AIDS/STV Control, one of the branches of the Directorate of Health under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh, this number increased to 31 people in the next era, or 12 years, and the first HIV-related death occurred in 2000 [Citation8].
HIV and death cases in Bangladesh, including Rohingya refugee HIV cases (1989–2022)
Total number of new HIV cases and deaths due to AIDS per year in Bangladesh 1989–2022 and included (796) number of new HIV cases among Rohingya refugees 2017–2022. The number of inhabitants in Bangladesh increased from 100,695,496 to 165,158,616 between 1989–2022 and the number of Rohingya refugees increased from 700000 to 1000000 between 2017–2022.
According to the Joint United Nations HIV/AIDS Programme (UNAIDS), Bangladesh has the 10th highest number of HIV/AIDS deaths in Asia in 2016. A UNAIDS 2017 poll found that approximately 1,000 persons in Bangladesh lost their lives to the virus in 2016 [Citation9]. Approximately 6,55,000 to 7,000,000 Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh in December 2017 to escape the genocide launched by the Myanmar military on 25 August 2017 [Citation10–12]. The current issue of overcrowding in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh has resulted in a significant burden on the existing infrastructure. Refugees face significant challenges in accessing essential services such as education, food, clean water, and good sanitation. Additionally, they are particularly susceptible to the adverse impacts of natural disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses [Citation13–16]. HIV is progressively becoming as a prominent infectious illness.
A notable correlation has emerged between the presence of Rohingya refugees residing in Bangladesh and the incidence of HIV infection, commencing in the year 2017. Between the years 2017 and 2022, a total of 4987 individuals residing in Bangladesh were diagnosed with HIV infection. Out of the total, a specific subset of 796 individuals were identified as Rohingyas. The observed value represents a proportion of 16%. Over a six-year period, there was a progressive increase in the number of new HIV cases in Bangladesh, as indicated by this 9.5% increase. It is concerning that there was an 86% increase in HIV-related deaths between 2017 and 2022. The noteworthy 103% rise in new HIV diagnoses among Bangladesh’s Rohingya minority during a period with 42.8% increased population of Rohingya refugees.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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