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

[Guest guest]

Jan 22, 2010 New Delhi 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. That's 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%).

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