10 JULY:With only 0.2 percent of the total 2.5 million HIV/AIDS cases in the country, Delhi has topped among all the states in controlling the spread of the disease, a NACO report said.
India has the largest number of HIV cases after South Africa and Nigeria, the NACO report said.While India has 2.5 million HIV positive cases, only 4,30,000 people have been detected with the disease in Russia.
"Delhi has the advantage of being the lowest prevalent state with only 32,000 people detected with HIV," Dr B S Banerjee, project director, Delhi State AIDS Control Society, said during a discussion on "Fighting AIDS: Indian and Russian Experience" in New delhi.
The first case in Delhi was reported in 1988. There were 61,621 female sex workers, 28,900 men having sex with men/transgender and 17,173 intravenous drug users in Delhi by 2006.
"Delhi is the highest vulnerable state. Lots of people living here are without their family, majority of population are from other states and lots of truckers come in," Banerjee said.
Pointing to reasons for rise in HIV cases in India, founder and Executive Director, Naz Foundation Trust, Anjali Gopalan said, "Here Men Having Sex with Men is considered a crime. 92 per cent of the MSM get married and transmit the disease to women. It should be like Russia where a man marrying a man should not be considered an offence."
According to Dr Samir Gulati of St Stephen’s hospital, "The number that is projected in case of India is not correct. Cases that come to private hospitals are not counted in the list." COURTSEY : DD NEWS