KATHMANDU: The number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among HIV/AIDS patients in Chitwan is on the rise.

Among the district’s HIV-positive population, 35 individuals have been diagnosed with STDs, according to senior physician Dr. Pramod Paudel of Bharatpur Hospital.

Dr. Paudel stated that over the past 10 months, 1,040 people were tested, revealing these cases of STDs, primarily caused by unsafe sexual practices.

Additionally, seven HIV patients were diagnosed with tuberculosis during screenings of 93 individuals.

Currently, Chitwan has 1,243 registered HIV patients, with 34 receiving medication from Baghaunda Hospital in Madhyapur and 1,209 receiving treatment from the ART Centre at Bharatpur Hospital.

Over the last 10 months, 66 new HIV cases were identified across the district, and 285 individuals tested were confirmed HIV-positive.

During this period, 104 new patients began treatment at Bharatpur’s ART Centre, including transfers from other districts.

Krishnahari Sapkota, program coordinator at the AIDS Health Foundation in Bharatpur, said that 65 patients on ART have been transferred elsewhere, while 28 have stopped their treatment.

He also reported 13 deaths among the district’s HIV-positive patients.

Sapkota added that societal attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients remain largely unchanged, with even ambulance services reportedly hesitant to transport these patients for treatment.