The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has reported a sharp rise in HIV infections in Bangladesh over the past three years, with more than 3,600 new cases and at least 600 deaths recorded between 2022 and 2025. In the first six months of 2025 alone, 882 people were newly identified. Surveillance data shows the highest increase among young people aged 17–30, with infections in the 17–23 age group rising most rapidly.
Border districts such as Jessore and Rajshahi are reporting notable surges. Jessore detected 40 new cases this year—almost double last year—with 25 students aged 17–23 testing positive. Jessore General Hospital’s ART Center is currently treating 220 patients from across the Khulna division. Rajshahi Medical College Hospital has identified 28 new cases and one death up to October 2025.
National estimates indicate that 14,000–17,000 people in Bangladesh are currently living with HIV. While overall prevalence remains below 0.1 percent, infection rates are higher in several key groups and geographic clusters. In Sirajganj, a district now considered a red zone, 255 HIV-positive individuals have been identified—73 percent of them injecting drug users. Among the newly identified are 29 students, 35 members of the general population, and four sex workers. Health officials cite needle sharing, lack of accurate information, and limited harm-reduction services as major contributing factors.
According to health experts, several factors continue to influence transmission among young people: limited sexual-health education, low condom use, unprotected relationships, and widespread stigma that prevents early testing. In border districts, officials also note the impact of drug supplies and injection practices connected to cross-border trafficking routes.
Free HIV screening, counseling, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) are available under the National AIDS Prevention Program. Health workers emphasize that early diagnosis and uninterrupted treatment allow people living with HIV to maintain long-term health, but stigma and misinformation remain significant barriers to prevention and care.
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