The total number of people in the state who are taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) is 10,765...
Digital Desk: Assam has an estimated 25,073 People Living with HIV (PLHIV), said the Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS). According to the report, 45 percent of the 25,073 PLHIV are female, and three percent are children.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day on Thursday, the ASACS said in a release quoting the NACO HIV Estimation Report 2021 that the HIV prevalence rate in Assam is 0.09 percent, which is lower than the national prevalence rate of 0.21 percent.
The total number of people in the state who are taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) is 10,765.
The district with the most cases is Kamrup (Metropolitan), with 7,610, followed by Cachar with 5,200, Nagaon with 16,02, and Dibrugarh with 1,402.
In Assam, 81.63 percent is transmitted through sex between heterosexuals, 5.54 percent is transmitted through HIV-infected syringes and needles, 4.76 percent is transmitted from parent to child, 4.61 percent is transmitted through homosexuals, 0.85 percent is transmitted through blood transfusions, and 2.61 percent is not specified, according to the report.
ASACS has carried out a number of initiatives to raise awareness, including disseminating HIV messages in print and electronic mass media, outdoor media (hoardings, bus and train paneling), folk media, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), activities during festivals and events, and HIV awareness in colleges through Red Ribbon Clubs and schools through the Adolescence Education Program, the release stated.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, the state Health Department organized a central function at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH), where Minister for Health and Family Welfare Keshab Mahanta launched ten Opioid Substitution Therapy (OPD-OST) Dispensing Centers for district hospitals across Assam.
A rally was also flagged off at the GMCH auditorium complex by renowned swimmer Elvis Ali Hazarika, with students from colleges and various institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders taking part.
World AIDS Day is being marked in all of Assam's districts with rallies, public meetings, and other events.
Continue Reading
