Thimphu, Dec 1 (IANS) A series of activities with various themes were held in Bhutan to mark World AIDS Day on Saturday.

The Ministry of Health organised a testing week from December 1 to 8 and a fund raising health walk was also held alongside health screenings, Xinhua news agency reported.

Equal and appropriate treatment, apart from services such as care and counselling medication, was important to help people with HIV live a meaningful life, a participant at the activities said.

Health officials said that despite enormous efforts and awareness, not many people had come forward to check their HIV status.

A total of 627 people, 323 males and 304 females have been detected HIV positive till date, said Bhutan's Health Ministry.

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Bhutan was increasing ever since the first case was detected 25 years ago, the report said.

So far this year alone, 57 HIV cases have been detected. The majority of the infected were found to belong to the age group of 20-49. The number could be higher, said the health officials.

--IANS soni/bg