Basra records 160 HIV cases, health official says

BASRA — Health authorities have recorded 160 HIV cases in Basra, about 6% of the national total registered as of 2024, and the real figure may be higher, the deputy head of the provincial health committee said.

“The results of testing and health monitoring showed that 160 cases have been recorded in Basra,” Nofal al-Mansouri said, adding that the number “may be higher than the registered cases, given the possibility that there are people who have not visited testing centers or undergone diagnosis.” The figures were discussed at a meeting on Wednesday attended by health specialists and security officials.

Mansouri called for wider testing, earlier detection and public awareness programmes, and said the issue should be approached from “a health, preventive and humanitarian perspective.” He said HIV is transmitted through unprotected sexual contact and cited unsafe practices at unlicensed beauty centres as another possible route.

There is no cure, but antiviral treatment controls the virus and allows people to live normally if they stay on it. Iraq’s prevalence is low, with the World Bank estimating 0.1% among adults aged 15 to 49, and health authorities had recorded 2,638 cases nationwide as of 2024.