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Saturday, April 2, 2011

India Registers 50% Dip in New HIV Cases: UN

Good news for the country in combating AIDS as a United Nations report today said India has registered a 50 per cent dip in number of new cases of HIV infections in this decade.

India, home to the world's third largest AIDS population, has registered a 50 percent dip in the number of new cases registered annually, according to the latest United Nations report. Close to 1.2 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2009, out of an estimated 2.3 million people living with the virus in the country.

Mother-to-child transmission is still the problem area, with maximum cases being reported from the south and the north-eastern part of the country.

Mother to child transmission of HIV is accountable for over 90% of HIV infections in children. This means nine in 10 babies living with HIV were infected from their mothers who are already living with the virus.

Even as India has recorded a drop in the number of infections, a new report on HIV/AIDS by UNAIDS warns that the epidemic, if not contained in time, will have adverse effects on the nation's economic growth.

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