In India 2,000 percent rise in child HIV cases

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Testing shows 2,000 percent rise in child HIV cases

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Expanded testing across India shows 2,000 percent jump in child HIV cases

Increase in confirmed cases may be due to the expanded testing

Number up from 2,253 in 2006 to 52,973, according to statistics

July 29, 2009

By Harmeet Shah Singh,

CNN

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Expanded testing across India in the past three years

shows a 2,000 percent jump in the number of HIV cases among children, the

country's health minister announced Wednesday.

An HIV-positive Indian child at a government treatment center. More than 14,000

children get free care.

In November 2006, health authorities counted 2,253 children in India with HIV,

the virus that causes AIDS, Ghulam Nabi Azad told parliament. The number went up

to a " cumulative total " of 52,973 in May this year, he said.

The huge increase in the number of confirmed cases may be due to the expanded

testing for the virus. India, home to more than a billion people, currently has

217 facilities for HIV/AIDS treatment and 5,155 counseling and testing centers.

The minister insisted that overall, HIV prevalence had decreased in India from

0.45 percent in 2002 to 0.34 percent in 2007.

At present, 758,698 HIV-positive patients are being treated under the country's

AIDS control program, Azad said.

More than 232,908 AIDS patients, including 14,474 children, are receiving free

treatment at the designated facilities, he added.

Authorities say mother-to-child transmission is a major source of infection

among children.

Last year, 19,986 pregnant women among more than 4 million tested were found to

be HIV-positive, said Azad.

Of them, 10,179 received treatment to prevent transmission to their babies.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/india.children.hiv/