The National Institute of Public Health in Kosovo (IKSHPK) announced on Tuesday that one person has died this year as a result of AIDS, which is caused by the HIV virus.
According to this institute, as of July 31 of this year, 19 new cases of this disease have been registered.
Last year, 34 cases were recorded.
HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system and, if left untreated, leads to AIDS - the most severe stage of the infection.
There is no cure for this disease, but health officials say that with regular treatment, infected people can live long lives.
Infectious disease specialists told Radio Free Europe months ago that the number of HIV cases in Kosovo is alarming.
"There is not enough information for young people about how this infection is transmitted. There is probably not even information about where to get tested and where they can get tested," said Murat Mehmeti, head of the sexually transmitted diseases department at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Pristina.
The National Institute for Public Health (NIPHK) has recalled that the virus is transmitted through unprotected sexual intercourse, through the sharing of syringes/needles, and from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding.
This virus is not transmitted through hugging, shaking hands, sharing food, water, air, or mosquito bites.
Around 100 infected people receive services at the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the University Clinical Center of Kosovo.
Testing and therapy there, as in other public institutions in Kosovo, are provided free of charge.
The first case of HIV in Kosovo was reported in 1986. Since then, 234 cases have been registered and 53 people have lost their lives. /REL
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