Health care systems in transition III. Sri Lanka, Part II. The current status of HIV-AIDS in Sri Lanka.

In South Asia, Sri Lanka is considered to be a country with a low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, most of the behaviours that facilitate the spread of HIV exist within the country. A large sexually active and potentially susceptible population aged between 15 and 49 years accounts for almost 55 per cent of the total Sri Lankan population of 18.7 million. The continuing conflict in the northeastern part of the country, in which an increasing number of military personnel is involved, together with many displaced people, has produced two vulnerable sub-populations. External economic migration among large numbers of unskilled and semi-skilled workers, especially women, progressive urbanization and the increasing pace of economic development and change could all potentially promote the spread of HIV in Sri Lanka. In addition, the close proximity to India, which is a high HIV prevalent country, leads to frequent travel between inhabitants of the two countries. On the other hand, Sri Lanka is a small island whose population has a high literacy rate, a well-established health infrastructure and health indicators that are comparable with those observed in a developed country. The reason for the rapid spread of HIV in neighbouring countries and the response of their governments have been considered in the attempts to control and prevent further spread of HIV in Sri Lanka.