Even as India aims to cut down new HIV infections by 75 per cent from 2010 to 2020, latest Government data shows that it has a long way to go achieving the target. The decline in new infections varies across geographical areas in the country. Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal, Delhi, are among those States where the HIV infection cases are on the rise, according to the latest data available from the National Aids Control Organisation of the Union Health Ministry.
The NACO report “Status of AIDS response” released in December last year says if in Maharashtra and Karnataka new HIV infections have decreased by 50 per cent in 2010-16, in Gujarat reduction rate is just 5 per cent. Conversely, in Tripura new HIV infections have almost doubled, on the other hand Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh saw an increase in infections by 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.
The data reveals that Andhra Pradesh (inclusive of Telangana) is estimated to have the highest number of Persons living with HIV (PlHIV) (3.9 lakhs) followed by Maharashtra (3.0 lakhs) and Karnataka (2.0 lakh).
Close behind were Gujarat (1.7 lakhs), Uttar Pradesh (1.5 lakhs) and Bihar (1.5 lakh) ranking 4th, 5th and 6th in terms of largest number of PlHIV, followed by Tamil Nadu (1.4 lakhs). West Bengal and Rajasthan also had 1 lakh or more PlHIV in 2016. Together, these nine States account for 82 per cent of the total number of PlHIV in the country.
While the number of PlHIV in North-Eastern States is much smaller than in the other parts of the country, HIV prevalence in these States is much higher than the national average (0.25 per cent). In 2016, Manipur was estimated to have the highest HIV prevalence in the country at 1.06 per cent, followed by Mizoram (0.79 per cent) and Nagaland (0.76 per cent).
As of March 2017, in nine States, at least 95 per cent of PlHIV were aware of their status but it was dismal in States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Bihar at 36 per cent, 45 per cent and 54 per cent of the PlHIV respectively. Particularly low percentages were also recorded in the North-Eastern States, in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan. The lowest was registered in Tripura (15 per cent).
The national average of percentage of people who know their HIV-positive status and are accessing treatment is 67.
Expressing concern, Sanjeeva Kumar, additional Secretary and DG of the NACO said in the report that 'the data shows that while new HIV infections and the AIDS disease burden has decreased the epidemic is still not yet over. In certain geographic areas new infections have stabilized or are on the increase. Similarly, progress on second 90 is below the global average while on 56 per cent of pregnant women were tested for HIV against the prescribed norms of 95 per cent or more for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV.
India has committed to eliminating parent-to-child transmission of HIV and achieving the 90-90-90 targets by 2020 to end AIDS by 2030.
The idea behind the 90-90-90 target is to diagnose 90 per cent of people who are HIV positive; get 90 per cent of the diagnosed HIV+ people on antiretroviral treatment, and 90 per cent of those on antiretrovirals should be virally suppressed. This is attained when an HIV+ patient's viral load reaches an undetectable level, curbing transmission.