Highlights
- HIV can lead to AIDS if proper and timely treatment is not taken: Experts
- World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on December 1
- As of now, there is no cure for HIV: Experts
New Delhi: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the spread of HIV and AIDS has affected crores of people worldwide. As pre an estimate by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), over 3.8 crore people are living with HIV worldwide. UNAIDS recommends that awareness can play a vital role in combatting the disease. On the occasion of World AIDS Day, which is celebrated every year on December 1 to raise awareness among people about HIV and AIDS, NDTV spoke with Dr. Veena Aggarwal, Gynaecologist, Consultant Women’s Health, Medtalks.in, an online medical platform which provides continuous medical education to doctors and paramedical staff and Dr. Tanaya Narendra, Sexual and Reproductive Health Expert, Pee Safe, a manufacturer of daily hygiene products to debunk some of the most common myths and misconceptions around the infection. Experts asserted that misconceptions can prevent individuals from making informed choices and taking appropriate actions on time in order to live longer and healthier lives even with HIV.
Also Read: World AIDS Day 2020: Five Things To Know About HIV Infection
Fact: HIV does not always lead to AIDS
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is the virus that can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) but this does not mean that all HIV positive persons will develop the disease. Early treatment of HIV infection can prevent AIDS. Dr. Aggarwal explained,
If a person is HIV-positive, it means they have the HIV virus in their body. AIDS is a syndrome of immune system deficiency that is the result of HIV attacking the immune system over time and is associated with weakened immune response. AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection but it can be prevented easily if a person takes medication to keep the levels of HIV infection under control. This can help in maintaining a healthy immune system for a long time and therefore preventing other infections caused due to weaker immune response and a diagnosis of AIDS.
Fact: HIV infection does not only occur in homosexual men and drug abusers
According to Dr. Narendra, this is one of the most common misconceptions since the beginning of the epidemic. She said that anyone who does not practise safe sex or uses contaminated needles can get HIV and if left untreated without medication to stop replication of the virus in their bodies, they can develop AIDS.
FACT: HIV cannot be transmitted through casual human contact like hugging an infected person
HIV cannot be transmitted through touch, tears, sweat, saliva, or pee, said experts. They said that one cannot catch it by activities like breathing the same air, touching a toilet seat or door knob or handle, sharing utensils, hugging, kissing, or shaking hands. Dr. Aggarwal said,
One can contract HIV from contaminated needles, infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or breast milk.
Also Read: Expert Blog: HIV Prevention- Ending The HIV Epidemic Together
FACT: HIV cannot be transmitted through insect bites
“This is such a common myth, I don’t know who started it and why? Even though the virus is passed through blood, there is no need to be worried about a vector carrying it,” said Dr. Narendra. She added that while biting or sucking blood, insects do not inject the blood from a person or animal they had bitten earlier.
FACT: There is a need of using protection even if both partners are HIV-positive
Fact: According to Dr. Narendra, using protection during sexual intercourse is extremely important, no matter what the HIV status of an individual is. She said,
The HIV virus has many strains. Also, the viral load among individuals differs. While one person may have low viral load, another may have high. Thus, the risk is always there of their condition getting worse. Besides, there are many more diseases that can spread through unprotected sex such as herpes and gonorrhoea.
FACT: Having HIV does not mean death
“With proper treatment, people with HIV are living absolutely normal and healthy life,” says Dr. Aggarwal.
She added that HIV positive individuals who are receiving proper antiretroviral therapy (ART) can expect to live a normal life span, so long as they take their prescribed medications and follow a healthy lifestyle to avoid other infections.
FACT: HIV-infected women can have children
Dr. Narendra said that while it is true that a mother can transmit HIV to the child during pregnancy, childbirth or later on while breastfeeding, it can be prevented by taking the required treatment. She said,
A woman with HIV who is preparing for pregnancy must take help of her healthcare provider to begin ART (antiretroviral therapy) treatment, recommended for HIV, as soon as possible. The risk of transmitting HIV to the baby can be reduced to a significantly less levels if a woman takes her medicine daily as recommended by a healthcare provider throughout her entire pregnancy including labour and delivery and continues medicine for her baby for four to six weeks after birth.
The WHO says that an HIV-positive woman can breastfeed her baby through the first year, provided she has an undetectable viral load in her body and she takes antiretroviral drugs throughout the period of breastfeeding.
FACT: HIV and AIDS cannot be cured
According to Dr. Narendra, as of now, there is no cure for HIV. However, she said that it can be kept at the level at which it cannot be detected via tests through medications meant for reducing the replication of the virus which reverses the immunodeficiency syndrome. Dr. Aggarwal said that suppressing the viral load to undetectable levels makes individuals living with HIV far less likely to pass the virus to others. However, due to the lack of awareness and the stigma around AIDS, people hesitate to get tested and take proper treatment. This not only puts them at risk of developing chronic life-threatening conditions but also puts others at the risk of contracting the virus.
Also Read: World AIDS Day 2020: A Look At How HIV-AIDS Has Been Impacting The World
NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.
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State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
DistrictCases Mumbai45,478 Thane13,660 Pune9,920 Mumbai Suburban5,363 Aurangabad1,974 Nashik1,575 Raigad1,462 Palghar1,421 Solapur1,291 Jalgaon1,039 Akola757 Nagpur692 Kolhapur646 Satara629 Ratnagiri350 Amravati291 Dhule228 Hingoli208 Jalna201 Ahmednagar190 Nanded176 Yavatmal150 Sangli145 Latur139 Osmanabad125 Sindhudurg114 Buldhana88 Parbhani78 gondia69 Beed54 Nandurbar42 Gadchiroli42 Bhandara41 Chandrapur32 Washim13 Wardha11 | 22,19,727 11,141 | 99,205 5,090 | 20,68,044 6,013 | 52,478 38 |
DistrictCases Kannur357 Kasaragod333 Palakkad224 Malappuram119 Kollam118 Thrissur106 Thiruvananthapuram104 Pathanamthitta98 Kozhikode90 Alappuzha76 Kottayam73 Ernakulam60 Idukki40 Wayanad36 | 10,77,327 2,100 | 41,162 1,952 | 10,31,865 4,039 | 4,300 13 |
DistrictCases Udupi1,176 Kalaburagi669 Yadgir538 Bengaluru Urban529 Raichur369 Mandya346 Belagavi337 Bidar219 Hassan205 Davangere204 Vijayapura201 Dakshina Kannada179 Chikkaballapura149 Mysuru107 Bagalkote103 Uttara Kannada95 Shivamogga67 Dharwad61 Ballari60 Gadag45 Bengaluru Rural40 Tumakuru36 Kolar29 Haveri24 Chikkamagaluru19 Chitradurga14 Koppal5 Kodagu4 Ramanagara3 Chamarajanagara0 | 9,55,015 622 | 6,881 268 | 9,35,772 351 | 12,362 3 |
DistrictCases Kurnool795 Krishna557 Guntur511 Anantapur428 East Godavari356 Chittoor319 Sri Potti Sriramulu Nell*296 Y.S.R.205 West Godavari199 Srikakulam183 Prakasam104 Visakhapatnam103 Vizianagaram23 | 8,90,692 136 | 998 77 | 8,82,520 58 | 7,174 1 |
DistrictCases Chennai23,324 Chengalpattu1,314 Thiruvallur774 Villupuram509 Kanchipuram503 Tiruvannamalai496 Cuddalore477 Ariyalur444 Tirunelveli433 Tuticorin333 Kallakurichi324 Madurai322 Salem258 Coimbatore188 Virudhunagar185 Dindigul175 Perambalur133 Ranipet133 Thanjavur130 Theni129 Tiruchirappalli119 Ramanathapuram119 Tiruppur116 Kanniyakumari110 Tenkasi103 Nagapattinam99 Karur88 Namakkal83 Erode75 Vellore71 Thiruvarur67 Pudukkottai53 Sivaganga46 Tirupathur45 Krishnagiri43 The Nilgiris17 Dharmapuri15 | 8,55,121 567 | 3,997 45 | 8,38,606 521 | 12,518 1 |
DistrictCases North West5,463 Central4,817 West4,768 New Delhi3,405 North3,059 East2,472 South East2,446 South West2,391 South2,329 North East1,914 Shahdara1,580 | 6,41,101 286 | 1,803 24 | 6,28,377 260 | 10,921 2 |
DistrictCases Gautam Buddha Nagar1,119 Agra933 Ghaziabad794 Meerut504 Lucknow386 Saharanpur298 Kanpur Nagar286 Moradabad252 Varanasi243 Hapur225 Aligarh215 Basti214 Amethi206 Rampur203 Jaunpur194 Firozabad190 Barabanki168 Gorakhpur166 Bulandshahr166 Siddharth Nagar159 Ghazipur159 Bijnor157 Deoria143 Azamgarh138 Sant Kabeer Nagar132 Mathura129 Ayodhya120 Muzaffarnagar117 Sambhal116 Sultanpur97 Ambedkar Nagar92 Maharajganj85 Amroha80 Rae Bareli78 Bahraich73 Kheri72 Kannauj69 Baghpat68 Kushi Nagar67 Bhadohi60 Ballia60 Gonda59 Etah52 Hardoi49 Balrampur49 Mau48 Mainpuri46 Etawah46 Hathras43 Unnao42 Jalaun41 Jhansi41 Shamli40 Chandauli38 Auraiya37 Farrukhabad36 Sitapur32 Prayagraj30 Banda27 Shahjahanpur25 Shravasti23 Budaun23 Mirzapur22 Bareilly17 Kasganj16 Pratapgarh15 Pilibhit15 Sonbhadra10 Kaushambi6 Kanpur Dehat4 Chitrakoot4 Lalitpur3 Hamirpur3 Mahoba3 Fatehpur3 | 6,04,279 115 | 1,647 84 | 5,93,895 191 | 8,737 8 |
DistrictCases Kolkata2,777 Howrah1,435 24 Paraganas North1,031 Hooghly604 24 Paraganas South281 Maldah235 Dinajpur Uttar216 Coochbehar210 Birbhum206 Medinipur West159 Medinipur East153 Nadia139 Purba Bardhaman130 Murshidabad125 Bankura116 Darjeeling97 Jalpaiguri88 Paschim Bardhaman70 Purulia66 Dinajpur Dakshin50 Alipurduar39 Kalimpong18 Jhargram9 | 5,76,623 188 | 3,163 50 | 5,63,182 237 | 10,278 1 |
DistrictCases Ganjam581 Jajapur322 Khordha238 Baleshwar190 Kendrapara164 Cuttack155 Bhadrak137 Balangir129 Puri103 Sundargarh102 Jagatsinghapur91 Nayagarh86 Mayurbhanj73 Nuapada69 Gajapati61 Dhenkanal36 Boudh34 Kendujhar34 Deogarh33 Kalahandi33 Sonepur29 Kandhamal28 Anugul26 Malkangiri20 Bargarh16 Koraput16 Sambalpur16 Jharsuguda8 Nabarangpur2 Rayagada2 | 3,37,744 70 | 747 20 | 3,35,080 90 | 1,917 |
DistrictCases Jaipur2,177 Jodhpur1,748 Udaipur724 Bharatpur563 Kota503 Nagaur500 Ajmer379 Dungarpur374 Pali352 Jhalawar329 Bhilwara250 Sikar231 Chittorgarh188 Tonk171 Jalore164 Rajsamand140 Sirohi130 Bikaner112 Banswara91 Alwar90 Churu81 Jhunjhunu64 Dausa61 Dholpur60 Baran59 Jaisalmer53 Barmer34 Hanumangarh31 SawaiMadhopur26 Karauli17 Pratapgarh14 Ganganagar8 Bundi5 | 3,21,532 176 | 1,755 52 | 3,16,988 124 | 2,789 |
DistrictCases Bilaspur100 Korba100 Mungeli87 Baloda Bazar85 Jashpur77 Janjgir-Champa56 Mahasamund54 Rajnandgaon52 Kabirdham52 Raigarh47 Raipur46 Balod41 Korea39 Durg31 Bemetara21 Kanker19 Balrampur17 Surguja14 Gariyaband10 Surajpur9 Dhamtari6 Bijapur2 Bastar2 Dantewada0 Kondagaon0 Narayanpur0 Sukma0 | 3,14,320 222 | 2,820 99 | 3,07,642 120 | 3,858 3 |
DistrictCases Hyderabad2,475 Ranga Reddy183 Suryapet87 Jagitial77 Nizamabad76 MedchalMalkajgiri75 Mancherial43 YadadriBhuvanagiri40 Jogulamba Gadwal40 Vikarabad40 Nalgonda33 Warangal Urban32 Mahabubnagar30 Sangareddy26 Khammam26 Adilabad22 Nirmal21 Karimnagar17 RajannaSircilla16 Medak11 Kamareddy11 Mahabubabad10 Jayashankar Bhupalapally9 Nagarkurnool8 Kumuram Bheem Asifabad8 Jangoan8 Siddipet7 Peddapalli5 Bhadradri Kothagudem5 Warangal Rural4 Mulugu3 Narayanpet3 Wanaparthy1 | 3,00,011 111 | 1,807 79 | 2,96,562 189 | 1,642 1 |
DistrictCases Ahmadabad17,125 Surat2,311 Vadodara1,555 Gandhinagar410 Mahesana159 Banas Kantha147 Bhavnagar146 Rajkot135 Arvalli134 Mahisagar125 Anand107 PanchMahals107 Patan105 SabarKantha101 Kachchh99 Kheda98 Jamnagar63 Bharuch56 Botad55 Surendranagar55 Valsad47 GirSomnath45 Dohad43 Chhotaudepur37 Naysari35 Junagadh31 Narmada25 DevbhumiDwarka22 Amreli16 Porbandar11 Tapi6 Dang5 Morbi4 | 2,73,386 575 | 3,140 115 | 2,65,831 459 | 4,415 1 |
DistrictCases Gurugram2,950 Faridabad867 Sonipat404 Rohtak145 Palwal120 Jhajjar114 Karnal104 Hisar98 Ambala93 Panipat78 Nuh68 Bhiwani60 Rewari56 Kurukshetra55 Sirsa50 Kaithal48 Mahendragarh47 CharkiDadri43 Panchkula39 Fatehabad38 Jind38 Yamunanagar19 | 2,72,520 305 | 2,031 133 | 2,67,433 172 | 3,056 |
DistrictCases Indore3,839 Bhopal1,880 Ujjain799 Burhanpur351 Neemuch319 Jabalpur276 East Nimar266 Sagar228 Gwalior211 Khargone196 Dewas140 Dhar132 Mandsaur112 Morena109 Bhind87 Raisen71 Barwani60 Ratlam51 Rewa39 Shajapur39 Hoshangabad37 Vidisha37 Chhatarpur35 Betul35 Rajgarh31 Dindori29 Sheopur26 Damoh26 Satna24 Anuppur22 Panna20 Tikamgarh18 Sidhi17 Narsinghpur17 Chhindwara16 Agar Malwa15 Mandla15 Shivpuri15 Jhabua14 Shandol14 Singrauli13 Ashoknagar13 Datia12 Sehore12 Umaria10 Balaghat9 Guna8 Harda4 Alirajpur3 Katni3 Seoni2 Niwari0 | 2,64,643 429 | 3,606 79 | 2,57,166 347 | 3,871 3 |
DistrictCases Patna279 Bhagalpur266 Rohtas256 Khagaria253 Begusarai243 Madhubani199 Munger188 Jehanabad178 Katihar175 Darbhanga143 Samastipur139 Siwan139 PurbiChamparan138 Purnia135 Banka134 Buxar134 Nalanda123 Gopalganj123 Nawada122 Sheikhpura118 Gaya115 Kaimur (bhabua)105 Bhojpur103 Saran101 Muzaffarpur96 Saharsa88 Supaul87 Vaishali87 Madhepura82 Kishanganj75 Aurangabad75 Sitamarhi73 Lakhisarai72 Araria68 Pashchim Champaran57 Arwal52 Jamui47 Sheohar20 | 2,62,758 30 | 313 21 | 2,60,899 50 | 1,546 1 |
DistrictCases Kamrup Metro276 Golaghat203 Nagaon143 Hojai89 Dima Hasao86 Karimganj85 Tinsukia84 Cachar80 Dibrugarh61 Hailakandi57 Lakhimpur57 Marigaon50 Dhemaji47 Kamrup42 Kokrajhar37 Dhubri30 Charaideo29 Barpeta28 Udalguri28 Sonitpur27 Jorhat24 Nalbari23 Darrang20 Sivasagar20 Goalpara19 Biswanath16 Baksa14 KarbiAnglong13 Bongaigaon12 Chirang6 West KarbiAnglong5 South SalmaraMancachar4 Majuli2 | 2,17,668 19 | 1,627 2 | 2,14,947 17 | 1,094 |
DistrictCases Amritsar485 Jalandhar297 Ludhiana293 Tarn Taran163 Gurdaspur154 Hoshiarpur140 S.A.S Nagar137 Patiala132 Sangrur107 Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr)99 Pathankot86 Rupnagar (Ropar)74 Faridkot74 Sri Muktsar Sahib71 Moga65 Bathinda60 Fatehgarh Sahib57 Fazilka53 Firozepur50 Kapurthala44 Mansa31 Barnala25 | 1,88,391 1,043 | 7,497 333 | 1,74,967 693 | 5,927 17 |
DistrictCases Anantnag395 Srinagar300 Kulgam295 Baramulla271 Shopian255 Kupwara231 Bandipora175 Udhampur155 Ramban151 Jammu138 Budgam110 Pulwama108 Kathua53 Rajouri39 Ganderbal37 Poonch35 Doda27 Reasi26 Samba25 Kishtwar10 Mirpur0 Muzaffarabad0 | 1,27,044 112 | 892 10 | 1,24,190 101 | 1,962 1 |
DistrictCases East Singhbum170 Ranchi148 Hazaribagh110 Garhwa80 Ramgarh75 Koderma58 Simdega48 Dhanbad32 Gumla28 Palamu27 West Singhbhum21 SaraikelaKharsawan20 Giridih19 Bokaro16 Latehar14 Khunti10 Lohardaga8 Deoghar5 Dumka5 Pakur4 Jamtara2 Godda2 Chatra1 Sahebganj0 | 1,20,259 42 | 463 2 | 1,18,703 38 | 1,093 2 |
DistrictCases Dehradun370 Nainital323 Tehri Garhwal110 Haridwar94 Udam Singh Nagar83 Almora71 Champawat45 Pithoragarh43 Chamoli36 PauriGarhwal36 Bageshwar31 Rudraprayag30 Uttar Kashi24 | 97,422 59 | 632 36 | 95,095 22 | 1,695 1 |
DistrictCases Hamirpur117 Kangra105 Una41 Solan32 Chamba29 Bilaspur21 Mandi21 Sirmaur11 Shimla10 Kullu4 Kinnaur2 Lahaul And Spiti0 | 59,118 59 | 614 25 | 57,507 34 | 997 |
DistrictCases South Goa69 North Goa57 | 55,409 48 | 688 12 | 53,922 60 | 799 |
DistrictCases Pondicherry111 Mahe4 Karaikal2 Yanam0 | 39,868 25 | 176 3 | 39,022 22 | 670 |
DistrictCases Dhalai196 Sepahijala174 Gomati74 South Tripura53 Unakoti49 West Tripura45 Khowai24 North Tripura14 | 33,424 | 30 0 | 33,003 | 391 |
DistrictCases Churachandpur32 Kangpokpi26 Imphal West21 Thoubal18 Imphal East10 Tengnoupal9 Bishnupur7 Senapati6 Chandel5 Kamjong5 Ukhrul4 Jiribam3 Pherzawl3 Kakching2 Tamenglong2 Noney1 | 29,291 3 | 28 3 | 28,890 6 | 373 |
DistrictCases Chandigarh313 | 22,318 80 | 710 35 | 21,253 45 | 355 |
DistrictCases Changlang31 Papum Pare8 Lohit3 Namsai2 West Siang1 East Siang1 Upper Siang1 Tawang1 PakkeKessang1 West Kameng0 Upper Subansiri0 Tirap0 Siang0 Shi Yomi0 Anjaw0 Lower Subansiri0 Lower Dibang Valley0 Longding0 Leparada0 KurungKumey0 KraDaadi0 Kamle0 East Kameng0 Dibang Valley0 Lower Siang0 | 16,839 | 3 0 | 16,780 | 56 |
DistrictCases East Khasi Hills22 West Garo Hills5 South West Garo Hills4 North Garo Hills1 West Jaintia Hills1 West Khasi Hills1 East Garo Hills0 East Jaintia Hills0 Ribhoi0 South Garo Hills0 South West Khasi Hills0 | 13,972 2 | 13 1 | 13,811 1 | 148 |
DistrictCases Dimapur20 Mon8 Kohima7 Kiphire3 Tuensang3 Peren2 Phek1 Longleng0 Mokokchung0 Wokha0 Zunheboto0 | 12,217 6 | 20 5 | 12,106 1 | 91 |
DistrictCases Kargil77 LehLadakh43 | 9,831 1 | 44 0 | 9,657 1 | 130 |
DistrictCases East District3 South District3 North District0 West District0 | 6,174 7 | 50 6 | 5,989 1 | 135 |
DistrictCases South Andamans33 Nicobars1 North And Middle Andaman1 | 5,024 | 7 0 | 4,955 | 62 |
DistrictCases Kolasib11 Aizawl10 Mamit8 Lawngtlai2 Lunglei2 Saitual1 Champhai0 Hnahthial0 Khawzawl0 Saiha0 Serchhip0 | 4,428 | 8 1 | 4,410 1 | 10 |
DistrictCases Dadra And Nagar Haveli20 | 3,416 7 | 12 7 | 3,402 | 2 |
DistrictCases Lakshadweep District0 | 486 13 | 158 1 | 327 14 | 1 |