Arunachal Pradesh reports surge in HIV cases, intravenous drug use major factor

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh has reported a significant rise in new HIV cases, with 902 new seropositive cases recorded between April 2023 and March 2024.

This came to light following release of data by the Arunachal Pradesh state AIDS control society.

An alarming 81.71% of these cases, amounting to 737 individuals, contracted HIV through the sharing of infected needles and syringes among intravenous drug users.

This marks a notable increase from the previous year, where 77.95% of new HIV cases were similarly linked to needle sharing.

Districts in Arunachal Pradesh such as Namsai and Papum Pare have seen a steady rise in HIV cases over the past two years.

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Namsai reported 714 new cases, while Papum Pare and the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR) collectively reported 410 cases.

The data also highlights other modes of HIV transmission, including unprotected sex, which accounted for 16.30% of cases in the latest reporting period, down from 20.14% in the previous year.

Additionally, a small percentage of cases were transmitted from parents to children, through infected blood products, and for unspecified reasons.

Since the first HIV case was detected in Arunachal Pradesh in 1998, the state has reported a total of 2024 HIV-positive cases, with 1171 individuals currently receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).