According to the Union Minister of State for Health, Anupriya Patel, India has recorded a 44% decline in new HIV infections since 2010, which is more than the global average reduction of 39%.
Speaking at the UN event, “Revitalized Multilateralism: Recommitting to Ending AIDS Together”, she presented the latest data from the India HIV Estimations 2023 report, Despite over 2.5 million people living with HIV in India, the country's adult prevalence remains low at 0.2%, with around 66,400 new infections annually.
India’s comprehensive approach to tackling HIV includes free provision of Anti-retroviral Therapy (ART) to more than 1.7 million and annual testing of over 30 million people for HIV, especially pregnant women.
The government’s emphasis on integrating health programs addressing co-morbidities like tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and non-communicable diseases is further supporting HIV patients. In addition, programs like the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (2021-2026) and youth engagement programs, such as Red Ribbon Clubs drive awareness and prevention
Highlighting that India is the world's largest supplier of anti-retroviral drugs providing 70% of global production, the union minister reaffirmed the country's commitment to ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 as per the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal.
