Assam: HIV cases quadruple in Guwahati, latest report shows 7,610 cases registered till date

Since April, 2022,  a total of 2,269 people have tested positive for HIV in Assam, which is higher than the previous two years.

A total of 5,57,747 samples were tested from April to October this year. Of that, 2,269 samples turned out to be positive for HIV, said Pomi Baruah, ACS, Project Director, Assam State AIDS Control Society.

Among these , 131 were pregnant women. In 2021-22, a total of 2,366 HIV cases were detected in the state, while it was just 1,288 in 2020-21. 

Assam has 25,073 people living with HIV (PLHIV) as per NACO HIV Estimation Report 2021. Out of this, 45 per cent of PLHIVs are female. Children living with HIV is 3 per cent. The total number of people alive by taking Anti-Retroviral therapy (ART) as on Oct  2022 is 10,765 in the state.

The HIV prevalence rate in India is 0.21 per cent and the same rate in Assam is 0.09 per cent.
"As far as the detection of HIV positive cases in the districts is concerned, Kamrup Metropolitan has the maximum number of cases at 7,610, followed by Cachar at 5,200 cases, Nagaon at 1,602 cases and Dibrugarh at 1,402 cases." said Pomi Baruah.

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.

Notably, worrying data with regards to the HIV and AIDS incidence in Mizoram also has predominantly made the state with the highest number of HIV cases in entire northeast India.

As per official statistics, the percentage or rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence in Mizoram is 10 times higher than that of the national average.

As per the latest statistics, Mizoram is currently the highest prevalent state in the country, with over 3.45 per cent of the population reportedly being infected. Following closely in the data of infections are the other states like Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya.

Speaking exclusively to IndiaTodayNE, chairman of the AIDS Prevention Society, Dr Syed Iftikar Ahmed said, "We are working in the state's AID prevention society since 1989-90 and as Guwahati metro is the key point of the entire northeast, Kamrup (M) has witnessed a surge in HIV cases."