(From left) Gyan Ranjan, president, Bihar Network for People Living with AIDS, Rita Kumari, member, Bihar Network for People Living with AIDS, Diwakar Tejaswi, physician-cum-AIDS specialist, among others address a media conference organised by Pahal, an NGO, on the eve of World AIDS Day.

“According to National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) figures for 2013-14, there are 20,88,638 AIDS patients in the country of which 1,45,446 patients are children.

In 2013-14, at least 1,18,459 new HIV-positive cases were detected in the country and 1,47,729 died of AIDS during the same period (2013-14) across the country.

However, according to Naco, the expected number of AIDS patients in Bihar is around 1,23,873. Bihar State AIDS Control Society has detected 70,000 AIDS patients in the state during the financial year 2013-14.

In the same period, 7,797 cases of new infections have been found in the state while 9,750 people died of AIDS in the state, said Tejaswi at the news meet.

He added: “There is 0.17 per cent chance of contracting infection through unprotected sexual exposure and 0.13 per cent chance of contracting infection through needles and syringes that has been used on AIDS patients.” Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey, text by Shuchismita Chakraborty