Annual new HIV infections fell by 46% in India since 2010: Govt

New Delhi: As per the latest HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) estimation 2021 report, the estimated number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in India is 24.01 lakh, the Centre informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Around 45 per cent (10.83 lakh) of the total estimated people living with HIV are women and two per cent (around 51,000) are children below the age of 12 years, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in reply to a written question.

The highest number of estimated PLHIV are in Maharashtra (3.94 lakh), followed by Andhra Pradesh (3.21 lakh), Karnataka (2.76 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (1.78 lakh), Tamil Nadu (1.63 lakh), Telangana (1.56 lakh), Bihar (1.43 lakh), and Gujarat (1.14 lakh).

Together, these eight states account for 72 per cent of the total estimated PLHIV in India, the minister stated.

"The HIV/AIDS disease has an overall declining trend in India. As per HIV Estimation 2021, annual new HIV infections have declined by 46 per cent in India since 2010. Globally, annual new HIV infections have declined by 32 per cent since 2010 (UNAIDS 2022 fact sheet)," she said in the reply.