Agartala, July 11: Tripura registers 1,500 new HIV/AIDS cases annually.
“Our first case was in 1996. Since then, then Tripura State AIDS Control Society has been running its HIV/AIDS control program. We target high-risk groups, offer free treatment, conduct awareness campaigns, and screen high-risk individuals. We have 154 centers for HIV testing and counseling,” said Dr Samarpita Dutta, director of Tripura State AIDS Control Society.
Dutta said that youth and students have high HIV and AIDS rates due to injectable drug use and high-risk behaviour.
After the recent media reports suggesting 828 students in Tripura tested positive for HIV/AIDS, with 47 deaths.
Dutta clarified that these figures cover the period from April 2007 to May 2024. “The news didn’t mention the time frame, causing confusion,” he said.
“The 828 students tested positive in 220 schools and 24 higher education institutions over the past 17 years, but many are no longer students.”
TSACS report found that 87 per cent of registered IDUs in Tripura are aged 16-30, with the highest group being 21-25 years old, comprising 43.5 per cent of all the IDUs.
This includes 12 individuals below 15 years of age confirmed to use injectable drugs while 22 per cent of all injectable drug users of the state are from the 16-20 years age group.
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