Question : HIV AIDS PATIENTS

(a) whether the Government has taken note of various reports which contradicts the National AIDS Control Organization’s (NACO) figures on number of HIV/AIDS patients in the country;

(b) if so, the facts in this regard indicating the actual number of people infected with HIV/AIDS alongwith the number out of them detected/identified during each of the last three years in the country, State/UT-wise;

(c) the target set by the Government to put all the HIV/AIDS patients on Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) in the country and the extent to which the said target has been achieved, State/UT-wise;

(d) whether the Government has formulated any action plan to target high risk group and also HIV infected pregnant women to bring down the cases of HIV/ AIDS infection; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI S. GANDHISELVAN)

(a): No. National AIDS Control Organization has not formally received any reports contradicting its figures regarding HIV infections in the country.

(b): According to the recent HIV estimates based on HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2008-09, it is estimated that 24 lakh people are infected with HIV in India in 2009, with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 0.31%. State/UT-wise details of the estimated number of HIV infections and the number of HIV infected cases identified through the Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres (ICTC) in the last three years are provided at Annex-1.

(c): For year 2011-12, the target set by the Government to put up HIV/AIDS patients on Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) in the country is 4,50,000. As on 31st January 2012, 4,86,173 HIV/AIDS patients are on ART in the country. The State/UT-wise details are provided at Annex-2.

(d) & (e): Yes. Targeted interventions (TI) under National AIDS Control Programme are aimed at offering HIV prevention services to high risk populations (Female Sex Workers- FSW, Men who have Sex with Men - MSM and Injecting Drug Users- IDUs) by providing them with the information, means and skills they need to minimize HIV transmission and improving their access to care, support and treatment services. The TI programme focuses on saturating the high risk groups with prevention services - behaviour change communication, treatment for STI/ RTI, condoms, providing safe needle and syringes, provision of Opioid Substitution Therapy, enabling environment, with community involvement and participation - with development of linkages to care, support and treatment services.

In order to identify HIV infection among pregnant women and also to prevent the transmission of HIV through mother to child transmission, Government is implementing Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) Programme which includes:-

# Primary prevention of HIV, especially among women of child bearing age

# Preventing unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV

# Prevent HIV transmission from a woman living with HIV to her infant

# Provide care, support and treatment to women living with HIV, her children and family