National AIDS control program :

Free HIV tests

Clinics operated by the National STD/AIDS Control program will provide free HIV tests to the public. An AIDS test costs around Rs 8,000 at a private clinic. The clinics run by the National STD/AIDS Control will strictly protect the confidentiality of all persons obtaining their services, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, it was recently discovered that 44 children who tested positive for HIV had been infected by their mothers, over 80 percent of these mothers had been infected by their husbands (fathers of the children) most wives are unaware about the promiscuous behaviour of their husbands who did not know about their HIV positive status because they never go for the relevant blood test.

The first ever HIV/AIDS case was reported in Sri Lanka in 1987 and during past 23 years 1,249 HIV positive cases were discovered from Sri Lanka.

The number of AIDS related deaths occurred during the same period is 223.

It is believed that there are around 4,000 HIV positive (undetected) persons in the country at the moment, he said. NG