Erbil marks World AIDS Day 

To mark World AIDS Day, health care workers in Erbil’s main market are providing free HIV tests for anyone willing to get tested, Barzinji said. 
A health care worker in Erbil wearing a red ribbon to mark World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2021. (Photo: Hero Mawludi/Kurdistan24)
A health care worker in Erbil wearing a red ribbon to mark World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2021. (Photo: Hero Mawludi/Kurdistan24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil is marking World AIDS Day on Wednesday by raising awareness of the chronic disease. 

Top government officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including the health minister, Erbil’s general health director, and the governor of Erbil, attended an awareness-raising event held in the city’s main market. 

The autonomous region conducted 300,000 tests for the AIDS virus this year and got 69 positive results. Out of these, 58 were foreigners while the rest were Iraqis, Health Minister Saman Barzinji said. 

HIV tests are mandatory in the Kurdistan Region for obtaining residency permits. They are also mandatory for health care workers at blood banks and surgeons. These mandatory tests aim to reduce the risk of the virus spreading in the autonomous region. 

To mark World AIDS Day, health care workers in Erbil’s main market are providing free HIV tests for anyone willing to get tested, Barzinji said. 

Health care workers in Erbil offering free-of-charge HIV tests for anyone willing to get tested, Dec. 1, 2021. (Photo: Hero Mawuludi/Kurdistan24)
Health care workers in Erbil offering free-of-charge HIV tests for anyone willing to get tested, Dec. 1, 2021. (Photo: Hero Mawludi/Kurdistan24)

Every December 1, countries worldwide mark this day by raising awareness of AIDS, commemorating those who lost their lives to the virus, and showing support for those suffering from the disease. 

HIV is a virus that attacks the human body’s immune system. If left untreated, it will gradually lead to AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The long incubation period between the initial infection and the first symptoms has long worried public health officials. 

Four decades after its identification, there is still no cure or vaccine for AIDS.