DHAKA, Dec 3 (AFP) - Bangladesh, which has so far been relatively untouched by the AIDS scourge, plans to crack down on dirty needles to prevent the disease from making inroads, an official said Tuesday.
"In our country, there is a danger from recycled needles and syringes to spread diseases like AIDS," said Major Geneal Matiur Rahman, chairman of the National AIDS Committee.
He said the government would be trying to "ensure the safety of people from reusing needles and syringes to prevent spread of AIDS."
The project aims to destroy all syringes and needles that are left in the open instead of being properly disposed of.
Rahman said Bangladesh also planned to introduce legsislation that would ban discrimination against people who have HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.
"The patients need proper care and help instead of being treated as social outcasts," said Rahman, quoted by the state news agency BSS.
According to official figures, only 248 Bangladeshis have contracted HIV, including 20 people who died of AIDS.
However, UN estimates put at about 22,000 the number of HIV-positive people in Bangladesh, a country of 130 million people.
In neighbouring India, 3.97 million people officially have HIV, more than in any country other than South Africa.
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