Construction of HIV Testing and Treatment Centre Begins in Farah
The Ministry of Public Health has announced that the foundation stone for an HIV testing and treatment centre has been laid in the compound of Farah Provincial Hospital, with financial support from the World Health Organization and a cost of nearly 2 million afghanis.
According to the ministry, once completed, the centre will provide standard HIV prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment services to patients. The statement said the centre is being established to strengthen health services in Farah province.
According to the statement, Dr. Mohammad Wali Ahmadzai, head of Farah Public Health, stressed the need to speed up construction work and ensure the required standards are followed in implementing the project at the opening ceremony.
Doctors say HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system, especially CD4 cells, and if left untreated, it can progress to a more advanced stage known as AIDS. According to them, the virus can only be diagnosed through testing.
According to doctors, some infected people develop symptoms such as fever, sore throat, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and swollen lymph nodes in the first few weeks, while others may remain symptom-free for years. In advanced stages, weight loss, persistent fever and night sweats, prolonged diarrhoea and recurring infections are among the signs.
Doctors added that HIV is mainly transmitted through unprotected sex, sharing contaminated needles and syringes, infected blood, and from an infected mother to her child during pregnancy, at birth or through breastfeeding. For prevention, they recommend proper use of condoms, avoiding shared use of needles and syringes, testing donated blood and undergoing an HIV test after suspected exposure.
Farah is one of Afghanistan’s western provinces and its capital is Farah city. HIV is the name of a virus that can lead to AIDS if it progresses and is not treated.
