Sri Lanka to fight AIDS, leprosy

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IANS Colombo
Last Updated : Feb 19 2016 | 3:02 PM IST

The Sri Lankan government on Friday vowed to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and leprosy which is on the rise in the island nation.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the objective of the government was to lower the disease prevalence in five years, Xinhua reported.

Over 1,000 leprosy patients were detected in Sri Lanka by November 2015 while over 150 people were detected with HIV/AIDS.

The National Sexually Transmitted Disease Eradication Unit Director, recently asserted that the majority of victims infected with HIV/AIDS were between the age group of 25 to 45.

The Health Ministry said the spread of the disease was due to the tourism industry, use of drugs, homosexual behaviour, and immigration.

Over 228 people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Sri Lanka in 2014.

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First Published: Feb 19 2016 | 2:48 PM IST

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