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'HIV infection has reached epidemic level in 5 states'

A senior United Nations Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome official warned India on Friday that Human Immuno-deficiency Virus infections had reached 'general type epidemic level' in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Meghalaya. He feared that the country would not be able hold back the number of infected individuals at the current level of 3.7 million if it did not come out with a strong response.

"Although prevalence level is low in individual states, it has reached the general type epidemic level in five states. Probably, Nagaland will also fit into that level," Gordon Alexander, Senior Programme Adviser, UNAIDS, New Delhi, said.

Estimates have put the number of infected individuals (HIV positive) in India at 3.7 million. "The situation is not yet of the one we are seeing in Africa. However, it calls for urgent action by the government, non-government organisations and others," he said.

Alexander said India could hold back the number of those infected if it came out with a 'strong response'. However, if the present trend continued, the country might see many more millions affected with HIV and there was the danger of HIV spreading to areas where infections were not seen before.

India needed to cover all the affected groups, educate the young people and see the whole scenario from the human rights perspective, discouraging the stigma attached to AIDS and its association with condemned behaviour, he added.

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