Does India’s HIV success story overlook its poorest state?
Figures from one district in Bihar show thousands living with HIV, contrasting sharply with India’s broader success in cutting infections
Local media reports said around 7,400 people in Sitamarhi district had been registered as HIV-positive, including more than 400 children, prompting alarm over a possible surge in infections.
District health officials have confirmed the figures but stressed that the data represents an accumulated number of cases recorded since 2005, not a sudden spike. Even so, they acknowledged that the number of children affected pointed to ongoing challenges in prevention and treatment.
Doctors said many of the cases involved families in which one or both parents were HIV-positive, resulting in transmission at birth. A local health centre had been recording between 40 and 60 new cases each month and was currently providing medication to around 5,000 patients, they added.
India’s National Aids Control Organisation classifies districts with an estimated 5,000 or more people living with HIV as “high priority” areas requiring intensive intervention.
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Amir Ullah Khan, a professor of health economics at Manipal University, said the situation in Bihar was worrying because the state was already struggling with high maternal and child mortality rates, compounded by a large migrant population.