KL Report

SRINAGAR

Jammu and Kashmir has more than 3500 people living with Human Immuno deficiency virus (HIV) while more than one thousand are living on Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) which is meant to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease.

Pertinently every year December 1 is celebrated as World Aids Day.

As per sources, Jammu division tops in HIV positive patients with more than 80 percent cases while in Kashmir Valley less than 20 percent positive HIV cases were detected so far.

This puts the total number of HIV positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir more than 450 in the current year 2013.

Since Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Media, and Various Civil Societies organizations have launched a massive awareness campaign at district levels by organizing seminars and other mediums about the prevention of AIDS, but to the experts “only these efforts are not sufficient.”

Sources said, “2.4 million people are HIV positive in India. Despite, the huge number the prevalence, HIV is low when compared to our population.”

The recently released UNAIDS report 2013, claims that India has managed to reduce new HIV infections by a staggering 57 percent since 2001.

In Jammu & Kashmir, Drug addicts are mainly the high risk groups for HIV, who is 15-30 times more likely to contract HIV. Getting treatment for high risk groups is even harder.

“If we’re to contain the spread of HIV, we must figure out a way to help people from these groups,” an expert said.

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