To prevent HIV infection NACO to focus on ‘vulnerable groups’

HIV prevalence was 1.6 per cent among female sex workers, 2.7 per cent among men having sex with men, 3.1 per cent among eunuchs/transgender and 6.3 per cent in IDU compared to 0.28 per cent among pregnant women attending ante natal care clinics.

Coverage of targeted intervention programme varied in vulnerable populations across the states.

Even as an approximate 10.54 lakh persons living with HIV are receiving free anti-retroviral therapy services in the country, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has stepped up its focus to reach out to vulnerable groups, like injecting drug users and men having sex with men.

Recently, the Lancet Commission report has raised the issue of the world not being on track to eradicate AIDS by 2030. India has the third largest burden with more than two million people living with HIV and the concern has been raised over the rising trend of HIV infections among the vulnerable groups.

At NACO, officials said that seven per cent of an estimated population of 20,000 IDUs had HIV and the trend was now visible in the Northeastern states of Mizoram, Manipur and Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand among others.
Most recent data obtained from the National AIDS Control Organisation’s HIV sentinel surveillance, 2016-17, shows that HIV in India remains concentrated in the vulnerable population groups.

HIV prevalence was 1.6 per cent among female sex workers, 2.7 per cent among men having sex with men, 3.1 per cent among eunuchs/transgender and 6.3 per cent in IDU compared to 0.28 per cent among pregnant women attending ante natal care clinics.

When contacted, Dr Samiran Panda, the director of National AIDS Research Institute said Indian data from NACO indicates that overall, there is a decline in the number of new infections. However, there is a rising trend in certain states with the highest HIV prevalence in IDUs and transgender populations.

“The targeted interventions project has been able to address needs of the marginalised section but still, it is difficult to reach certain pockets — for instance sex workers who operate outside the brothels,” Panda said.

According to NACO, the coverage of targeted intervention programme varied in vulnerable populations across the states. Eunuchs/transgenders were covered under the programme in 17 states and the coverage was lowest in West Bengal (15 per cent).

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However, among the states with an estimated eunuch/transgender size of 1,000 or more, the targeted intervention coverage was highest in Maharashtra (more than 95 per cent), Karnataka (95 per cent) and Delhi (72 per cent). Among injecting drug users the coverage was 9 per cent in Haryana and 19 per cent in Tamil Nadu.

The highest number of People living with HIV who were on ART were in Maharashtra (2.18 lakh), followed by Andhra Pradesh (1.54 lakh), Karnataka (1.40 lakh) and Tamil Nadu (1.02 lakh).

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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