The Public Health Institution says that many HIV/AIDS patients in
Albania feel shame to tell about their disease, to the point of refusing
therapy.
“These people suffer from prejudice, to the point of choosing to not follow therapy. Stigma remains a huge problem”, says Marjeta Dervishi, doktor at the Public Health Institution.
126 persons were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Albania during 2016, and 60% of them have learned about their disease completely by chance, mostly when they were seeking medical help for another illness.
“Unfortunately, many of them come too late, to advanced stages that could be fatal”, the doctor says.
HIV/AIDS can stay dormant in the human body for 10 years, without showing any symptom. People who neglect with blood tests learn about the disease in very advanced stages, when they could have treated it with methods that are offered for free.
Three people died last December because of AIDS, one 34-year-old from Vlora and two 40-year-old men from Lezha. 17 persons died in total in 2016.
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