New Delhi, January 22: 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%).
—Agencies