DAMASCUS, Syria — In an atmosphere of official secrecy in which data is limited on patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and their ability to get treatment, Al-Monitor was able to get some information through health industry sources, one of whom works at the infectious disease control center and another at the Ministry of Health.

Jamal Khamis, the director of the National Program for Combating AIDS at the infectious disease control center, which works in cooperation with the Syrian Health Ministry, revealed in his latest statement to the Baath newspaper in February that by the end of 2014, 833 AIDS cases were recorded in Syria, mainly in Damascus and its countryside. He also noted that only 154 Syrian AIDS patients receive treatment for free, while the price of each medication refill is more than many of the rest can pay.

The Syrian regime can only offer services in the areas under its control, and many people are stuck elsewhere with no access to medication and testing. Official statements from the Health Ministry and the center give only the number of patients, giving the impression that the war has not affected the patients at all. The statements do not indicate the type of treatment and the amount of medicine available, nor do they supply the contact information of specialists and health clinics in the cities and villages. All the information provided by the official media assures the public that everything is fine and that the patients have no problems at all.

With the help of an employee at the infectious disease control center in the area of Zablatani — adjacent to the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus, where battles between the regime and the opposition are ongoing — Al-Monitor was able to communicate with "Alaa al-Zein," a patient who has been receiving treatment for two years now and also works at the center. He told Al-Monitor over the phone, “There is no special medical care for AIDS. I come here every two months to take my medicine, not knowing if I will be hit by a mortar bomb from Ghouta or shot down by snipers. Sometimes I have to pay $100 [half of a government employee’s salary] to get necessary tests such as the viral load level.”