Health officials revealed that a number of students infected with AIDS were refused enrollment by different schools in the Kingdom. Many parents had apparently protested against the possibility of their children mingling with infected students,Sana Filemban, director general of the Ministry of Health’s National AIDS Control Program, told local media.

According to statistics published by the Ministry of Health on its website, the number of AIDS patients in the country in 2013 stood at 22,136. The number stood at 20,539 in 2012. Of these numbers, Saudis account for 5,890 and foreign residents make up 14,649 cases.

Many times, the disease affects the unborn child from her mother’s womb, but Filemban stated that if a pregnant woman is diagnosed with the illness in the early stages of pregnancy or before, the woman can receive adequate treatment and spare her child the infection.