In a major worry for Indian government, over 2 million HIV-infected people are living in the country.
New Delhi, Aug 29/Nationalturk – Over 2 million HIV-infected people are living in India, which has over one billion population.
“As per HIV estimation 2012, total estimated number of people living with HIV in India in 2011 was 2088642,” India’s Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury told Rajya Sabha, upper house of Indian parliament.
Giving break-up of HIV-infected people in India, he said the Indian southern State of Andhra Pradesh has 419180 HIV-infected people. “Similarly, Arunachal Pradesh has 1156 HIV-infected people, Assam 12804 HIV-infected people, Bihar 123875 HIV-infected people, Chhattisgarh 40942 HIV-infected people, Delhi (Indian capital) 25161 HIV-infected people, Goa 4126 HIV-infected people, Gujarat 127092 HIV-infected people, Himachal Pradesh 7346 HIV-infected people, Haryana 17876 HIV-infected people and Jharkhand 47976 HIV-infected people”.
Khan said as per 2011 figures, Indian administered Kashmir has 5812 HIV-infected people, Karnataka 209368 HIV-infected people, Kerala 25090 HIV-infected people, Meghalaya 2381 HIV-infected people, Maharashtra 315849 HIV-infected people, Manipur 25369 HIV-infected people, Madhya Pradesh 40451 HIV-infected people, Mizoram 5346 HIV-infected people, Nagaland 9716 HIV-infected people, Odisha 103862 HIV-infected people, Punjab 31961 HIV-infected people, Rajasthan 73545 HIV-infected people, Sikkim 593 HIV-infected people,
Tamil Nadu 132590 HIV-infected people, Tripura 5684 HIV-infected people, Uttarakhand 12862 HIV-infected people, Uttar Pradesh 122522 HIV-infected people, West Bengal 134286 HIV-infected people”.
The Minister said Indian Union Territories Andaman & Nicobar has 195 HIV-infected people, Chandigarh 1814 HIV-infected people, Dadra & Nagar Haveli 289 HIV-infected people, Daman & Diu 268 HIV-infected people and Pondicherry 1254 HIV-infected people.
‘Several measures taken for HIV prevention’
The Minister said several measures have been taken for HIV prevention in the country.
“Approximately Rs 7314.46 crore (Indian currency) has been allocated to be spent on HIV prevention and awareness during next five years in the country,” added Khan.
Health experts said HIV emerged much later in India than it did in many other countries of the world. “Infection rates soared throughout the 1990s, and today the epidemic affects all sectors of Indian society, not just the groups – such as sex workers and truck drivers – with which it was originally associated”.
“In a country where poverty, illiteracy and poor health are rife, the spread of HIV presents a daunting challenge for the government,” they said.
Write your comments and thoughts below
Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News
[adrotate banner=”46″]
