India has an HIV/AIDS population of 5.1 million, second only to South Africa with 5.3 million infected people, according to World heath organisations. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) estimates that there are 5.2 million HIV infected people in India.
In India, the high-risk groups include sex-workers and their clients— especially truck drivers. In the northeast, the disease is spread through injectible needles and the use of drugs. According to Experts, one-third of all AIDS cases in India is amongst people in the age group 15 years-29 years, 57% are in the rural area, 39% are among women, and 40% are among youth (15-35 age group ).
There is an alarming increase in the HIV/AIDS cases in India’s West Bengal state with 0.5% of its population belonging to the age group of 15 years and 49 years carrying the virus, according to an estimate of West Bengal State AIDS Prevention and Control Society (WBSACS). West Bengal had 2,397 reported cases of AIDS in 2005.The number of HIV positive people is 6,941 The Flying sex workers are more infected than other sex workers because they don’t always take the precautions and they don’t have the bargaining power.Indian Government spend about Rs.430 million a year on prevention and awareness campaigns of sex related disease but India needs much more to fight the AIDS menace.Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra ,Manipur and Nagaland are the worst hit states of India.
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