219 districts identified as priority for intensified HIV/AIDS interventions
The Union Health Ministry has identified 219 districts, of which 11 are located in Haryana and seven in Delhi, for priority HIV/AIDS interventions. Delhi currently records an adult HIV prevalence of 0.33 per cent, with an estimated 59,079 people living with HIV, while Haryana has an adult HIV prevalence of 0.24 per cent, with an estimated 59,642 people living with HIV, a senior official said.
The ministry’s National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) on Friday convened a Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala here as part of its strategy to strengthen the district-level response to HIV/AIDS, with a focus on Haryana and Delhi. The workshop was chaired by NACO director general Dr Rakesh Gupta. In Delhi, the identified districts comprise North, New Delhi, Shahdara, Central, South East, South, and North West.
In Haryana, the prioritised districts comprise Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Hisar, Sonipat, Kaithal, and Fatehabad, officials said, according to a statement. At the meeting, Dr Gupta reiterated India’s commitment to moving towards declaring HIV/AIDS as an epidemic under control by World AIDS Day, 2027.
He stressed the importance of striving towards the target of 95:95:95 at the earliest, with a strong push to achieve these milestones in the upcoming programme cycle. The globally endorsed 95:95:95 target envisions that 95 per cent of all people living with HIV are aware of their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed are on sustained Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), and 95 per cent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Dr Gupta noted that Delhi continues to face critical gaps, with only around 70 per cent of identified individuals currently linked to or receiving treatment. In contrast, Haryana has achieved a cascade of approximately 81:83:95, reflecting encouraging progress.
Dr Gupta further emphasised the critical importance of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. He stressed that such transmission is entirely preventable through timely testing, counselling, and treatment, and called for strengthened antenatal screening and universal access to prevention services to ensure that no child is born with HIV.
