2.89m people infected with HIV virus in India

The Indian Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare has said that around 2.89 million people are infected by the deadly HIV/Aids virus in India. According to the latest survey conducted by the country, Indian health ministry stated on Wednesday, Indian Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, informed the upper house of Parliament that HIV Estimations 2012 based on HIV Sentinel Surveillance data up to 2010-11 highlighted that the estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) in India was 20.89 lakh , about 2.89 million in 2011. “According to this survey, 86.34% of PLHIV were in the age group of 15-49 years in 2011 in India,” the minister said. He pointed out that survey suggests that HIV prevalent among pregnant women was considered proxy for HIV infections in general population. “As per HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2010-11, pregnant women in rural areas have HIV prevalence of 0.37 %, compared to 0.44 % among those in urban areas,” chowdhary said. HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus infection) / AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is a disease of the human immune system. The disease caused by the virus prolongs without symptoms. As the illness progresses, it interferes with the immune system, making the person much more likely to get infections, including opportunistic infections and tumors that do not usually affect people who have strong immune systems.