AIDS patients admitted to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa doubled between the years of 2008 and 2017, according to a study published in honor International AIDS Day.

The majority of the 136 AIDS patients were immigrants from Ethiopia (37 percent) and the former Soviet Union (29 percent). Since September of 2018, 90 more patients have been diagnosed. The report also found that 60 of those patients were likely carriers of the disease, because they were unaware and not diagnosed until they were admitted to the hospital.

“On this World AIDS Day, we are reminded of the imperative of public education to assure early detection and treatment of HIV/AIDS,” Richard Hirschhaut, National Executive Director of American Friends of Rambam Medical Center.

This is part of a larger global trend, where more people are contracting HIV every year. Despite efforts to reduce the spread of the disease and virus numbers of HIV patients have increased dramatically over the past 10 years. This is largely because of the increase of the virus in countries with few resources.

To read the article published in the Jerusalem Post, click here