The number of HIV patients has registered an increase in Bihar, one of the 10 low-prevalence states.
According to a report compiled by National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), although HIV prevalence declined at the national-level, a reverse trend was seen in Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Punjab, Assam and Uttarakhand, where HIV prevalence earlier was considered to be low.
Titled 'India HIV Estimates-2012', the report points out that the 10 low-prevalence states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Uttarakhand together account for 57 per cent of new infections.
'On the other hand, the six high prevalence states account for only 31 per cent of the 1.16 lakh estimated new infections in 2011 among adults,' says the report.
These states are Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland and Tamil Nadu.
Indicating a positive trend in these states, it mentions that the adult HIV prevalence declined in these states during the period of 2007-2011. 'India has done well overall but if you look state by state, there are varying trends,' said UNAIDS India country co-ordinator Oussama Tawil.
Experts attributed the rise in the number of HIV-infected people in the state to better test facilities. According to them, awareness about the disease has also increased and more people are coming for pathological investigations.
Manoj Kumar Sinha, the information, communication and education officer at Bihar State AIDS Control Society, said: 'According to Bihar State Aids Control Society's estimates, till 2012, there were 45,000-50,000 AIDS patients identified in the state but in 2013, this number rose to 64,000-65,000 and this year this number has gone up to 70,000 till the month of November. However, according to National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco)'s figures, the expected number of AIDS patients in the state is around 1.5 lakh. So there has been definitely an increase in the number of AIDS patients in the state but that is because people have become more aware about the disease and they are coming for getting their confirmatory test done.' ?
In 2012, the state had only 207 integrated counselling and testing centres. 'Last year, 213 integrated testing and counselling centres were inaugurated. The number of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres was 12 till last year but this year four more ART centres have been inaugurated,' Sinha said.
