At 0.29%, Karnataka’s HIV prevalence rate is higher than the national average of 0.22%. While Nagaland tops the list of States with the highest prevalence (1.61%), Karnataka is in the ninth position, according to data from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
Nagaland is followed by Mizoram (1.13%), Meghalaya (0.58%), Delhi (0.41%), Tripura and Chandigarh (0.38% each), Andhra Pradesh (0.37%), Manipur (0.33%), and Karnataka (0.29%). December 1 is observed as World AIDS Day and the theme this year is “Let communities lead.”
At the national level, the estimated adult HIV prevalence (15–49 years) has declined since the epidemic’s peak in 2000 where prevalence was estimated at 0.55% in 2000 to 0.32% in 2010, and 0.22% in 2021. The northeast region States have the highest adult HIV prevalence (2.70% in Mizoram, 1.36% in Nagaland, and 1.05% in Manipur), followed by southern States (0.67% in Andhra Pradesh, 0.47% in Telangana, and 0.46% in Karnataka), according to India HIV Estimates 2021.
