Health authorities in Sri Lanka have raised concerns over a sharp rise in new HIV infections among young men, warning of a growing public health challenge as male cases continue to outpace female diagnoses by a striking margin.
According to the latest Quarterly Report on HIV – 1st Quarter 2025, released by the Ministry of Health’s National STD/AIDS Control Programme, nearly all new HIV cases among youth aged 15 to 24 were male.
Of the 32 new cases reported in this age group, 30 were men — a ratio 15 times higher than that of young women.
This trend is not new but marks a continuation of a worrying pattern observed throughout 2024, with each quarter showing significant male dominance in new HIV cases within the same age group.
The quarterly figures from last year (2024) consistently reflected this imbalance:
Q1 : 20 males, 5 females
Q2: 26 males, 0 females
Q3: 24 males, 5 females
Q4: 29 males, 2 females
The latest data also reveals that of the 230 total new HIV diagnoses across all age groups in the first quarter of 2025, 200 were male and 31 were female, with one case involving a transgender person. The cumulative total of reported HIV cases in Sri Lanka now stands at 6,759, including 5,190 men, 1,550 women, and 19 transgender individuals. The report also recorded 10 AIDS-related deaths during the first quarter.
While Sri Lanka’s overall adult HIV prevalence remains below 0.1%, health officials say the numbers reflect persistent transmission and an urgent need for targeted prevention strategies, especially among young men.
The Ministry’s report also details broader trends in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), revealing gender-specific vulnerabilities.
Non-specific cervicitis/urethritis was the most reported STI, with 792 cases — including 604 in women and 188 in men. Other common infections included Candidiasis (754 cases), Genital Herpes (641), and Genital Warts (557).
More serious STIs also revealed male predominance. Among 160 cases of Early Syphilis, 129 were in males; and of 200 Late Syphilis cases, 138 affected men. Gonorrhoea infections also skewed male, with 150 cases in men out of a total of 182.
Meanwhile, female-specific reproductive health conditions were also prominent: all 325 cases of Bacterial Vaginosis and 14 cases of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease occurred in women. Both Chlamydial Infection cases recorded involved females, and no instances of Ophthalmia Neonatorum were reported.
The report also noted that all the data was collected through public STD clinics, raising questions about possible underreporting from private healthcare providers and underserved communities.
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