India’s AIDS figures keep falling,latest is 22 lakh

Govt has lowered its estimates for the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in India from 23.1 lakh in 2007 to 22.7 lakh in 2008-09.

The government has lowered its estimates for the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in India from 23.1 lakh in 2007 to 22.7 lakh in 2008-09. Estimates of the prevalence of the infection are down to 0.29 per cent from 0.36 per cent in 2007.

The trend suggests that the overall strategy is working. In 2006-07,36 people per 10,000 were infected,now the number is 29. Thats quite a decline, said Damodar Bachani,Dy DG,Department of AIDS Control.

Prevalence continues to be concentrated in high risk groups data for 2008-09 identify them as injecting drug users (9.2%),men having sex with men (7.3%),female sex workers (4.9%) and sexually-transmitted diseases clinic attendees (2.5%). Prevalence among ante-natal care clinic attendees is lower,at 0.49%.

Of the six states Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu,Karnataka,Maharashtra,Nagaland and Manipur that showed a high prevalence in earlier years,all except two Andhra Pradesh and Nagaland have seen the median HIV prevalence among ante-natal care clinic attendees fall under 1%.

Andhra Pradesh continues to be a problem state. The numbers suggest that every hundredth woman coming to the ante-natal care clinic may be infected, Bachani said.

In terms of overall prevalence,Manipur has declined to 0.54% from 1.68% the highest in the country in 2007. However,prevalence among high-risk groups has gone up, Dr Bachani said.

Overall prevalence is most in Andhra (1.22%),followed by Nagaland (1.14%) and Karnataka (0.89%).