As of January 20, 2025, approximately 11,000 cases of HIV infection/AIDS have been recorded in Georgia. Of these, 2,333 individuals have passed away. This was announced by Nino Khetaguri, Program Manager of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Georgia program, at a media seminar held at Hotel “Rooms” in Tbilisi. According to her, 721 infected patients are from temporarily occupied Abkhazia.
“According to the distribution area of the infection, Tbilisi leads. Adjara is in second place, Samegrelo in third, and Imereti in fourth. The disease primarily manifests in citizens of reproductive age. The majority of those infected are men,” – noted **Nino Khetaguri.
According to her information, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Georgia office (AHF Georgia) has been operating in Tbilisi since 2018 and offers individual-oriented testing to the population.
For information, at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Georgia branch (AHF Georgia), which has been functioning for six years now, anyone interested, including young people, can receive free and anonymous 4-component testing, which allows them to get results for HIV infection, Hepatitis C and B, and syphilis in just 10 minutes. The testing is quick, anonymous, and free.
In addition to the above, AHF Georgia pays special attention to raising awareness about reproductive health among young people through informational meetings, training sessions, free anonymous consultations, and posting information on their Facebook page.
As **Mariam Natadze**, the coordinator of the organization’s Youth Center, noted, during antiretroviral treatment, an infected person no longer spreads the infection. Furthermore, since appropriate treatment began in Georgia, no HIV-infected children have been born.
“Stigma and misinformation hinder the prevention and treatment of the disease. Therefore, our main goal is to raise public awareness and promote a healthy lifestyle among young people,” — said Mariam Natadze.Specialists remind the public that HIV infection/AIDS is not transmitted through handshakes, kissing, using common dishes, swimming pools, etc.
In the first stage of the disease’s spread in Georgia, primarily intravenous drug users were infected. Currently, the leading cause of transmission is through heterosexual contact.
As mentioned at the meeting, AHF Georgia operates a Youth Center aimed at creating a safe, comfortable space for young people, helping them form healthy habits and develop responsible attitudes, and promoting self-esteem and self-confidence through joint educational activities.
“At AHF Georgia’s Youth Center, adolescents and young people have the opportunity to receive information on sexual and reproductive health issues, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Knowledge of reproductive health issues allows adolescents and young people to make informed decisions, avoid sexually transmitted infections, and reduce the risk of early marriage,”explains AHF Georgia Youth Center Coordinator, Mariam Natadze.
At the end of the meeting, specialists answered journalists’ questions.
For free and anonymous testing and free consultation on HIV/AIDS, STIs, and reproductive health issues, please contact the AHF Georgia Testing Center at: Tbilisi, 2 Mari Brose St. or call: +995 32 2 228040. Website: freeHIVtest-ge.org
