Annual AIDS check: good news national, grim regional

Andhra Pradesh is the main area of concern, with 2.25 per cent of its population estimated to be infected. It becomes the first state in the country where HIV has crossed the two per cent of population mark.

According to Ministry officials, the worst hit districts are Namakal, Guntoor and East Godavari. Andhra Pradesh has taken over from Mizoram (1.38 per cent), which was hitherto the worst-hit state.

While 1.12 per cent of Maharashtra’s people are in the HIV zone, Mumbai is in deeper crisis: 44.7 per cent of female prostitutes reporting at clinics have tested positive. ‘‘These are the areas which cannot be ignored. So there is no reason to be complacent,’’ said Denis Brown, UNAIDS country coordinator.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss agreed, ‘‘Though it is heartening to know the figures have come down but it doesn’t matter what the numbers are. we have to continue our work.’’

While the AIDS problem may be reaching a plateau, as per the government assessment, the demography of AIDS throws up concerns.

First, AIDS is not just a big city problem. Rural and urban populations are equally vulnerable. Of the 51.34 lakh infected Indians, 30.07 lakh (58.57 per cent) are estimated to live in villages. Of the total patients, 31.32 lakh are male.

About 69.38 per cent of Indians living with HIV/AIDS do so in the six states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

Second, AIDS can be beaten back. Some states have recorded a decrease in HIV/AIDS patients as a percentage of total population. The best example is Tamil Nadu. From 0.75 percent prevalence in the general population in 2003 to 0.50 percent in 2004, the HIV epidemic in the Union health minister’s home state has, according to Ramadoss himself, reached a plateau.

Third, some states have reported zero per cent cases, indicating a miracle or, more likely, a statistical anomaly or a grossly inefficient public health monitoring system.

Surprisingly Bihar figures in the list of states that have recorded 0 per cent HIV cases in the general population. So do Assam, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Lakhshadweep, Uttaranchal and Dadra and Nagar haveli. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populated state, officially has only 0.25 per cent of its people affected by the virus.

Given this, the Health Ministry had its study endorsed by WHO and UNAIDS representatives.

‘‘We support these numbers. You should not give importance to statements by certain individuals who just visit India on a transit.

The methodology used in India is internationally recognised and used all over the world,’’ said Salim Habayeb, WHO representative in India.