Rise in cases of HIV/Aids affected children

With the expansion of Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres (ICTC) from 1476 to 5155 and facilities for providing treatment from 52 to 217, the number of detected HIV positive children increased from 2253 in November, 2006, to a cumulative total of 52,973 in May, 2009. All HIV/AIDS patients are provided free laboratory investigations and treatment in various Government supported facilities. At present, 7, 58, 698 HIV+ persons are being provided services under National AIDS Control Programme (Phase-III).

For advanced cases of AIDS, free investigations and treatment facilities are available in 217 medical facilities where treatment is being provided with Anti-retroviral drugs to 2,32,908 patients, of whom 14,474 are children.

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. In addition, 7 Regional Pediatric Centres have also been established to treat complicated cases of AIDS in children.

Measures taken by the Government to check spread of HIV infection include 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. The major source of infection in children is through vertical transmission of the HIV virus from their positive pregnant mother to the infant. To arrest this trend, the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) Programme is being implemented since 2002. Under this programme, services relating to short term prophylactic drug treatment and safe delivery practices including counseling & safe infant feeding methods are provided to HIV infected pregnant woman. In the year 2008, 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 transmission from infected mother to infant.

Comprehensive preventive, care and treatment services have resulted into stabilization of HIV epidemic. 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.

This information was given by Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 29, 2009.

Source:PIB