HIV/AIDS in India

Chrisy Ngilneii
Reviewed by The Medindia Review Team on Oct 03, 2017
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The first AIDS case in India was detected in 1986 and since then Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection has been reported in all states and union territories.

HIV/AIDS Prevalence in India

Estimated Number of Annual New HIV Infection, 2015
Total 86,309
Adults 75,948
Children (<15Years) 10,361

The key risk groups are:
  • High Risk Groups (HRG)
    • Female Sex Workers (FSW)
    • Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)
    • Transgender (TG)
    • Injecting Drug Users (IDU)
  • Bridge Populations
    • Truckers
    • Migrants


Typology-wise Coverage of Key Risk Groups under Targeted Intervention (TI) Program 2016 - 2017
Key Risk Groups Coverage
Female Sex Workers (FSW) 6,03,236
Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) 2,06,007
Injecting Drug Users (IDU) 1,21,840
Transgenders (TG)   29,325
Migrant (Destination) 2,92,5882
Trucker 9,29,675

HIV/AIDS Statistics of India

Blood test for HIV/AIDS was conducted for a total of 3,65,932 persons in India between April 2016 to September 2016.

Out of all blood tests done, 0.17 percent (621 persons) were detected with HIV infection.

Important data regarding various programs and services:
Information, Education & Communication (IEC) Mainstreaming: Key IEC Activities
No. of Red Ribbon Clubs 12,000+
No. of School with AEP 53,000+


Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)/Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI)  Services
No. of STI Clinics 1152
No. of STI Episodes Treated (2014 - 2015) 4848000


Condom Sales and Outlet Coverage in 2015-16 (till October 2015) through Targeted Condom Social Marketing Program (CSMP)
Total Condom Sales (pcs) 2,83,50,723
Total Outlets Serviced 1,16,657


Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) for Injection Drug Users (IDUs)
No. of Centers 213
Coverage 22,510


Blood Transfusion Services 2014 - 2015
No. of Blood Banks 2760
No. of Blood Units Collected (2014 to September 2015) 28,40,000
Percentage of Units Collected by Voluntary blood donors (2014 - 2015) 78%


National AIDS Control Program Performance on Key Indicators
S. No Indicator 2013 - 2014 2014 - 2015
Target Achievement Target Achievement
1 New Targeted Interventions established 300 24.6 220 66
2 STI/RTI patients managed as per national protocol 68 Lakh 67.7 Lakh 70 Lakh 75.46 Lakh
3 Blood collection in NACO supported blood bank 55 Lakh 57.48 Lakh 60 Lakh 63.2 Lakh
4 Proportion of blood units collected by Voluntary blood donation in NACO Supported Blood Banks 80% 84% 75% 84%
5 Districts covered under Link Worker Scheme (Cumulative) 163 161 163 137
6 Clients tested for HIV (General clients) 102 Lakh 130.30 Lakh 118 Lakh 142.64 Lakh
7 Pregnant Women tested for HIV 102 Lakh 97.52 Lakh 118 Lakh 106.10 Lakh
8 Proportion of HIV+ pregnant Women and Babies who are initiated on Multidrug Antiretroviral regimen 75% 84% 85% 97%
9 HIV-TB Cross Referrals 12 Lakh 14.88 V 13 Lakh 16.83 Lakh
10   New ART Centres established 420 425 45 50
11 PLHIV on ART (Cumulative) 7.10 Lakh 7.68 Lakh 8.31 Lakh 8.51 Lakh
12 Opportunistic Infections treated 2.9 Lakh 4.35 Lakh 3.0 Lakh 3. 97 Lakh
13 Campaigns released on Mass Media - TV/Radio 9 9 8 3
14 New Red Ribbon Clubs formed in Colleges 500 800 550 550
15 Persons trained under Mainstreaming training programs 3 Lakh 3.75 Lakh 3.2 Lakh 3.51 Lakh
16 Social Marketing of condoms by NACO contracted Social Marketing Organizations 35 crore pieces 51.62 crore pieces 44 crore pieces 60.8 crore pieces
17 Free Distribution of Condoms 36 crore pieces 32.15 crore pieces 37 crore pieces 27.2 crore pieces

Glossary of Terms:
AIDS: AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
Antiretroviral treatment (ART): The treatment for HIV – made up of antiretroviral drugs. ART uses a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to stop HIV from spreading throughout the body.
HIV: HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
NACO: National Aids Control Organization
RTI: Reproductive tract infection.
STI: Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Source: Annual Report 2016 - 2017, NACO / Annual Report 2015-2016, NACO / India HIV Estimations 2015.
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