Kamrup Metro has the highest number of AIDS cases at 7,610, followed by Cachar with 5,200 patients

way2barak, Dec.1: World AIDS Day, designated on 1 December every year since 1988, is an international day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection and mourning those who have died of the disease.

As per Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS), the state has an estimated 25,073 People Living with HIV (PLHIV) between 2010-2021. Out of them, some 45 percent were female and three percent were children, officials stated. Kamrup (Metropolitan) district has the highest number of cases at 7,610, followed by Cachar with 5,200, Nagaon with 1,602 and Dibrugarh with 1,402.

As regards the route of transmission in Assam, 81.63 per cent is through sex between heterosexuals, 5.54 per cent is through HIV-infected syringe and needles, parent to child is 4.76 per cent, homosexual route is 4.61 per cent, 0.85 per cent through blood transfusions and 2.61 is not specified.

The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) data showed that Assam has been able to test 67,15,121 persons (22,22,527 general clients and 44,92,594 pregnant women) till October 31, 2021, and 20,841 cases have been diagnosed as HIV positive, out of which 19,030 were general clients and 1,811 are pregnant women.