“The prevalence of HIV has come down to 0.67% as per 2021 estimates, thanks to the concerted efforts put in by the government and NGOs and other stakeholders,” said NTR district Collector S. Dilli Rao.
He was speaking after flagging off a ‘Red Run’, a 5km run organised by the Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society in Vijayawada on September 30 in collaboration with National Health Mission, the Departments of Higher Education and AYUSH and others, to bring awareness about HIV/AIDS among youth and adolescents to reduce the risk of new infections.
More than 100 people participated in the run. The Collector said while it is a good thing that the number of annual infections in the State has come down, Andhra Pradesh still figures among the top five States when it comes to the number of population living with HIV (more than three lakh) and new infections (more than 4,000 per year).
