According to official data, 2,269 people in Assam have tested positive for HIV since April, a significant increase from the previous two years.
From April to October of this year, a total of 5,57,747 samples were tested. According to the Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS), 2,269 of those samples tested positive for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
There were 131 pregnant women among these patients, according to the report.
In 2021-22, the state had a total of 2,366 HIV cases, compared to 1,288 in 2020-21.
According to the NACO HIV Estimation Report 2021, Assam has 25,073 people living with HIV (PLHIV), according to ASACS Assistant Director Rajib Sarma.
“Out of this, 45 percent of PLHIVs are female. Children living with HIV are 3 percent,” he added.
The total number of people in the state who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) is 10,765.
“The HIV prevalence rate in India is 0.21 percent and the same rate in Assam is 0.09 per cent,” Sarma said.
In terms of HIV prevalence in the districts, Kamrup Metropolitan has the highest number of cases with 7,610, followed by Cachar with 5,200 cases, Nagaon with 1,602 cases, and Dibrugarh with 1,402 cases.
“81.63 per cent is transmitted through heterosexual route, 5.54 per cent is through HIV-infected syringe and needles, parent to child is 4.76 per cent, through homosexual route is 4.61 per cent, 0.85 per cent through blood and blood products, and 2.61 is not specified,” Sarma said.
The ASACS, among other things, uses the press, outdoor advertising, folk arts, and social media to raise HIV awareness among the public.