BANGALORE: India has been struggling with the rise of HIV cases over the past decade. Though the number has been reducing slowly, it still houses the third highest number of HIV patients. The subcontinent has 2.1 million people affected with the deadly virus accounting for about every four out of ten Asian affected person. According to reports by National AIDS Control Organization of India, the prevalence of AIDS was 0.27 in 2013.
The highest amount of HIV infected patients are among drug users, homosexual and bisexuals, sex workers and babies that are infected by their mothers. The geographical stats show that there are more patients from the northeast, especially Manipur (0.78 percent) and the southern states of Andhra Pradesh (0.76 percent) and Karnataka (0.68 percent).
The number of people being treated each year for HIV is increasing. The NACO has increased the number of centers administrating free Anti Retroviral drugs from 54 to 96 centers. Although this drug does not cure the disease, it suppresses the multiplication of the virus to reduce opportunistic infection thereby prolonging life. The number of deaths due to HIV was 51 percent last year in India.
According to reports, HIV is more prevalent among men than in women. From the total affected people 61 percent are men and 39 percent are women. Women who were diagnosed with HIV were those who have migrant husbands like truck drivers. They account for 75 percent out of the totally affected HIV women.
Kids below the age of 15 amount for 4.4 percent of the totally infected population.
The need for more medication has burdened health centers. Out of the total HIV affected populations only 10 percent get medical treatment due to the less availability of Anti Retroviral Treatment.
It is to be noted that many of deaths due to HIV go unaccounted as they are not able to get to the centers. In many cases, deaths occur due to undiagnosed HIV that is then combined with other sickness like tuberculosis. The UN has reported that this deadly disease epidemic can be controlled and brought to par with other fatal diseases by 2030.
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