HIV among children in India increases by 2000%
Expanded testing facilities across India have shown a whopping increase in the number of HIV cases among children. From 2,253 in November 2006, the number of children infected by the deadly virus has gone up to a cumulative total of 52,973 in May this year.
New Delhi: Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha yesterday informed that the number of detected HIV positive children has increased from 2,253 in November 2006 to 52,973 in May 2009 – a whopping 2000% plus increase in just three years.
The expanded testing facilities in the country have made it possible to detect more confirmed cases. He informed that the Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres (ICTC) had increased from 1,476 to 5,155.
All HIV/AIDS patients are provided free laboratory investigations and treatment in various government supported facilities, he said. “The number of facilities for providing treatment has also gone up from 52 to 217,” he added.
[To see the year-wise, state-wise numbers of HIV positive children, please click here.]
Presently there are approximately 7,58,698 HIV+ persons in the country, who are being provided services under National AIDS Control Programme (Phase-III).
In addition, free investigations and treatment facilities are available in 217 medical centres for advanced cases of AIDS. About 2,32,908 patients, of whom 14,474 are children, are being provided treatment with Anti-retroviral drugs in these centres.
Azad informed that 10 Centres of Excellence have also been established for providing second line Anti-retroviral Treatment to 460 patients who are resistant to first line ARV drugs. Also, seven regional pediatric centres have been established in the country to treat complicated cases of AIDS in children.
He claimed that government had taken several measures to check spread of HIV infection. These included: targeted interventions for high risk groups, blood safety programme, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, integrated counseling and testing services, prevention of parent to child transmission, condom promotion and public awareness programme.
Several studies have pointed out that the major source of infection in children is mother. A positive pregnant mother transmits the HIV virus to the infant. The government’s prevention of parent to child transmission (PPTCT) programme is meant to arrest this trend. The programme has been in existence since 2002.
Under the programme, services relating to short-term prophylactic drug treatment and safe delivery practices, including counseling and safe infant feeding methods is provided to HIV infected pregnant woman.
The minister informed to the house that last year, a total of 41 lakh pregnant women were counseled and tested, of whom 19,986 were found positive and 10,179 mother-baby pair received prophylactic treatment to prevent the transmission.
He claimed that that these comprehensive preventive care and treatment services have resulted into stabilisation of HIV epidemic.
As per the latest estimates, the prevalence of HIV has reduced from 0.45% in 2002 to 0.34% in 2007. Some high prevalence states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra have also shown decline in HIV prevalence rates.
