The Ministry of Health (MH) officially launched the fourth, final stage of the annual ANTI-AIDS campaign "Pass It On: Summer Without Risk". The initiative is being implemented jointly with the National Center for Public Health and the Bulgarian Red Cross.
The face of this year's summer campaign is the popular vlogger and social influencer Ventsi Vasilev (known as ZicoYSK), who will help spread information among the youth audience.
The large-scale national health initiative will continue until the end of August and covers all regions of the country. Mobile teams from regional health inspectorates will offer free and completely anonymous HIV and AIDS testing at various public locations.
Expert groups will be positioned at many attractive places, including popular seaside resorts such as Sunny Beach, the Sea Garden in Varna, various pools in the cities of Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, Plovdiv and Asenovgrad. Additional testing points are planned during a motorcycle gathering in Pavel Banya, folklore festivals and music festivals.
Statistical data for the past part of the year show that nearly 200,000 people have already been tested for HIV. Of the 185 newly discovered cases, 94% were acquired through sexual contact, and 5.4% through injection drug use. The most affected remains the age group between 30-39 years, which represents one-third of all registered cases.
The health ministry guarantees free treatment and testing for all those in need, regardless of their health insurance status. Currently, 2,632 people with HIV are being monitored in specialized medical structures, with 99% receiving completely free therapy.
The campaign is part of the traditional four annual stages, which include World AIDS Day (December 1), Valentine's Day (February 14), Day of Solidarity (third Sunday in May) and the current summer stage.
Full information about the mobile points schedule is available on the official website of the Ministry of Health.