Rising HIV, AIDS cases in Telangana’s Khammam trigger concern
This year from April to October, blood samples of about 61,056 persons have been tested for HIV and of them, the blood samples of 285 persons came out to be positive.
Khammam: There has been an upward trend in terms of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) positive cases in the district in the last three years.
Every month, as many as 40 new HIV positive cases are being registered. This year from April to October, blood samples of about 61,056 persons have been tested for HIV and of them, the blood samples of 285 persons came out to be positive.
Similarly, the blood samples of as many as 17,628 pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) have been tested during the above period and of them, samples of 12 women tested positive for HIV, according to official data.
District Medical and Health Officer Dr. B Kalavathi Bai informed that 6,732 persons who are tested positive for HIV got registered at the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre at the Government General Hospital in Khammam to receive medication. ART pension is being given to 2,584 eligible persons. There are around 2,595 persons with high risk behaviour in the district, including 1,788 female sex workers, 727 homosexuals and 80 transgender persons.
A non-governmental organisation, Jagruthi, has been making efforts to bring change in their behaviour while the YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRGCARE) is working for the Link Workers Scheme (LWS), a community-based programme aimed at providing information and services to high risk persons in rural areas to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS.
Likewise, an NGO, Janavani, has identified around 15,161 migrant workers with high risk behaviour and is making efforts to bring change among them, the DM&HO, Dr. Kalavathi Bai noted.
She revealed that there are four Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres (ICTC), 38 Facility Integrated Testing and Counselling Centres (FICTC), 161 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, nine Basti Dawakhanas, one ART centre, two ART link centres and 10 blood banks involved in control and prevention of HIV.
HIV testing/positive cases of both ANC/non-ANC clients from 2017-2024 in Khammam:
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2017-18 — 35663, tested positive 727
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2018-19 — 64167, tested positive 640
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2019-20 — 83788, tested positive 631
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2020-21 — 45855, tested positive 373
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2021-22 — 47714, tested positive 445
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2022-23 — 86120, tested positive 512
Total clients tested for HIV in the year 2023-24 — 118796, tested positive 559
