Live
- KCR, KTR, Harish hit campaign trail
- Visakhapatnam: VV Lakshminarayana seeks police protection
- Congress Lok Sabha candidate Dr. Malluravi participated in the morning walk
- CM rebukes Harish Rao’s resignation challenge, cites format issue
- Gold rates in Vijayawada surges, check the rates on 27 April 2024
- Gold rates in Hyderabad surges, check the rates on 27 April 2024
- Gold rates in Visakhapatnam surges, check the rates on 27 April 2024
- Gold rates in Delhi surges, check the rates on 27 April 2024
- Don’t vote for ‘Chhote Bhai’ or ‘Bade Bhai’: KCR
- Rising mercury levels, low voter turnout worrying BJP?
HIV cases decline in Telangana, AP
The number of new HIV infections in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are decreasing. A few years ago, United Andhra Pradesh had the dubious distinction of being the second most HIV infected state in the country after Maharashtra. Today, Telangana is in 7th position and Andhra Pradesh in 9thposition after Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
Hyderabad: The number of new HIV infections in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are decreasing. A few years ago, United Andhra Pradesh had the dubious distinction of being the second most HIV infected state in the country after Maharashtra. Today, Telangana is in 7th position and Andhra Pradesh in 9thposition after Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh.
From 1.45 per cent of overall positive cases in 2003 to 0.59 per cent in 2013 in united AP, it has dropped to 0.39 per cent now in Telangana and 0.35 per cent in Andhra Pradesh for the period 2014-15. Dr John Babu, Telangana State AIDS Control Society (TSACS) says, “In 2013-14 there were 16,736 positive cases and in 2015-16 the number dropped to 13,051.
From a handful of antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres to the present 102 centres including link and ART plus centres in Telangana helped in not only treating people but in spreading awareness.”Though the HIV prevalence is coming down in AP with 0.39 per cent, because of India’s huge population, the total number of AIDS affected people from Andhra Pradesh is still huge with 3,94,661 people living with the deadly virus.
Dr Rajendra Prasad, joint director, AP State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) says, “More than a lakh have registered with the 40 ART centres in the state. The number is steadily coming down. During 2012-13 there were 2810 pregnant women were found to be positive. In 2015-16 period, 9,50,980 pregnant women were tested and 1004 were found to be positive.”
New infections decreased from a peak in 1997 with 3.3 million per year but have remained constant. According to Dr John Babu, “Initially, the decline would be fast in any programme and then there is a stage when it is stable for a while. There is again a period when it keeps declining slowly but steadily. We are presently in such a phase.”
In 2011-12 there were 61,663 positive cases and by 2013-14 it came down to 48,438. There is a decline and it would continue to slide down year-on-year says Dr John. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 (GBD 2015) report published in The Lancet HIV journal found that 28.81 lakh people in India are living with HIV and in 2015, 1.96 lakh new HIV cases were reported. Across the world 25 lakh new HIV cases were reported in 2015.
