AIDS claims 200 lives in State: Official

Puducherry, Jun 5: As many as 200 persons have died of AIDS over a period of 20 years in the union territory, according to Puducherry AIDS Control Society Director Benjamin Gilbert.

Talking to newspersons here today, Dr Gilbert said the first AIDS case was detected in 1987 in the union territory.

At present there are about 9,200 HIV-affected people here.

At present, as many as 322 patients are undergoing ART treatment in the government general hospital here.

About 500 reported cases of AIDS patients were there in Puducherry.

Dr Gilbert said according to sentinel surveillance 2006, the prevalence rate among high risk groups such as lorry drivers and commercial sex workers in Puducherry had come down from 7.20 per cent in 1998 to 2.92 per cent in 2007.

Among low risk group (Anti-Natal cases), the prevalance rate has come down from 0.50 per cent to nil in 2007.

UNI