COVID-19 Lockdown: A Detailed Study of Patients with HIV

When the whole country was under COVID-19 lockdown, more than 85,000 people were affected by HIV due to unprotected sex during the years 2020 and 2021. The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has responded to a Right to Information Act query filed by Chandra Sehgar Kaur, an activist from Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra topped the list of states with 10,498 cases and the second was Andhra Pradesh with 9,521 cases. The next state was Karnataka with 8,947 cases. Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal had a survey of 3,037 and 2,757 cases, respectively.

The Official News

According to official data, more than 17 lakh people in the country have been infected with HIV in the last 10 years due to unprotected sex, although statistics show a steady decline. The number of people infected with HIV through unprotected sex saw a decrease from 2.4 lakh in 2011-2012 to 85,268 in 2020-2021.

In the last 10 years, 3,18,814 cases of HIV have been reported in Andhra Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra with 2,84,577, Karnataka with 2,12,982, Tamil Nadu with 1,16,536, Uttar Pradesh with 1,10,911, and Gujarat with 87,440.

As of 2020, data show that there are 23,18,737 people living with HIV in the country, including 81,430 children.

HIV attacks the body’s immune system. If left untreated, it can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). The virus is spread through infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids.

Currently, there is no effective treatment for HIV. However, it can be managed with proper medical care.

Source-Medindia