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• Alarm bell!
• 2,473 pregnant women HIV positive in 5 years
• Worrying statistics announced on World AIDS Day

Ahmedabad: On the occasion of World AIDS Day According to the published data, In Gujarat The serious problem of HIV and AIDS infection among pregnant women has come to light. In the last five years, more than two thousand (2,473) pregnant women have been found HIV positive in the state.

State of statistics

In the last five years, 7.472 million pregnant women in the state were tested for HIV. Among them, 2,473 women have been diagnosed with HIV infection. Currently, approximately 90,000 HIV-infected patients are receiving treatment in the state. The disease can be controlled with regular medication, making it a chronic but managed disease.

Special precautions to prevent infection

In Gujarat, special precautions are taken with pregnant women to prevent the transmission of HIV infection to the newborn. According to the Gujarat State AIDS Control Society, the state has an HIV prevalence of 0.18 percent, which is slightly lower than the national average of 0.20 percent. Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar districts have been declared as High-Priority Areas.

Free trial and awareness

Free testing and counseling facilities are widely available in the state to control HIV infection. Free testing and counseling is available at 261 ICTC and 2,466 FICTC centres. NGO Assistance 88 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are providing counselling, condom distribution and awareness materials to vulnerable groups.

Status of India and World

Patients in India: India currently has an estimated 2.6 million people living with HIV infection, while globally the number has risen to more than 4 crore.

First patient: The first case of HIV was found in California, USA in 1981, while the first case in India was found in 1986 in Chennai and Surat in Gujarat.

World AIDS Day reminds us that awareness and timely testing are the greatest defenses against this infection.