Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh Nurzhamal Torobekova proposed to introduce a mandatory medical examination for those getting married due to the increase in cases of HIV infection in Kyrgyzstan, the publication “Azattyk” reports.
According to the Republican Center for the Control of Viral Hepatitis and HIV, more than 15 thousand people with a positive status are officially registered in the country. In five years, the number of identified cases has increased 1.5 times – from 10 thousand in 2020, notes edition.
Most of the infected – 60% – are people of working age. Experts record a change in the ways of transmission of the virus: at the moment the sexual route dominates, while in the past decades the main factor was injecting drug use.
Particular attention is paid to migration processes. According to the department, as of mid-2025, about 31% of all new cases of infection occur in citizens returning from work from abroad. The main flow of migration from Kyrgyzstan is directed to the Russian Federation, where, according to various estimates, from 1 to 1.2 million people with HIV live. According to the Ministry of Social Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, there are officially more than 341 thousand Kyrgyz in Russia. Often, the infection is detected after the creation of a family, when a labor migrant, not knowing about his status or hiding it, infects his partner.
Torobekova’s initiative is based on the practice of neighboring countries – Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where future spouses are obliged to be tested for HIV, syphilis and liver disease. In these states, which are also major suppliers of labor to the foreign market, inspections for newlyweds are carried out free of charge.
