Bangladesh is seeing an alarming rise in HIV/AIDS infections among young and unmarried people, according to recent data from the Directorate General of Health Services’ HIV/STD programme. The source says new patient detections over the past year have exceeded all previous records since the country’s first HIV patient was identified in 1989. A final report expected on World AIDS Day, December 1, could raise the reported total further.

An estimated 17,440 people in Bangladesh are living with HIV, while 14,313 patients have so far been identified. The share of infections among unmarried young men and women has recently reached nearly 42 percent, while most affected people are aged 25 to 49. Officials said expanded testing and screening contributed to increased detection, while experts cited insufficient awareness, unsafe practices and inadequate preventive services for certain key populations.

About 56 percent of identified patients belong to key populations, with expatriates accounting for 12 percent of new patients and Rohingya people for 11 percent. Bangladesh has adopted the WHO’s 95-95-95 strategy to eliminate AIDS by 2030, but about 74 percent of diagnosed people are receiving regular treatment.