NEW DELHI: The centre has identified 219 districts in the country as priority for intensified HIV/AIDS interventions nationwide, of which 11 are located in Haryana and seven in Delhi.
According to Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary and Director General, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Delhi currently records an adult HIV prevalence of 0.33 percent, with an estimated 59,079 people living with HIV, while Haryana has an adult HIV prevalence of 0.24 percent, with an estimated 59,642 people living with HIV.
“Delhi continues to face critical gaps, with only around 70 percent of identified individuals currently linked to or receiving treatment,” he said, adding that this highlights the urgent need to accelerate treatment coverage and retention.
Speaking at the Mission AIDS Suraksha workshop, Gupta said, in contrast, Haryana has achieved a cascade of approximately 81:83:95, reflecting encouraging progress, while also signalling the need for intensified efforts to improve diagnosis and treatment linkage.
“HIV/AIDS continues to pose a significant public health challenge, necessitating sustained vigilance, innovation, and coordinated action across all tiers of governance,” he said.
The centre is working on a war footing through 'Mission AIDS Suraksha' to make the country HIV-free by December 1, 2027. India has an estimated 25.61 lakh people living with HIV (PLHIV), the second largest number globally in 2024, although the annual HIV incidence rate continues to be very low in the country, as per the government report.
To meet the 2027 deadline, the Union Health Ministry has been convening ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ to accelerate district-level HIV response. Under this targeted approach, specific districts have been prioritised for strengthened programme implementation and close monitoring. This time, the workshop was held in Haryana and Delhi.
In Delhi, the identified districts include North, New Delhi, Shahdara, Central, South East, South, and North West. In Haryana, the prioritised districts comprise Panipat, Rohtak, Sirsa, Jhajjar, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Hisar, Sonipat, Kaithal, and Fatehabad.
Dr Gupta outlined an ambitious and time-bound roadmap, reiterating India’s commitment to moving towards declaring HIV/AIDS as an epidemic under control by World AIDS Day, 2027.
In this context, he stressed the importance of striving towards an enhanced target of 95:95:99 at the earliest, with a strong push to achieve these milestones in the upcoming programme cycle.
Referring to the globally endorsed target of 95:95:95, Gupta elaborated that the framework envisions that 95 percent of all people living with HIV are aware of their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed are on sustained Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), and 95 percent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression - thereby substantially reducing transmission and improving health outcomes.
Emphasising the critical importance of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, he said that such transmission is entirely preventable through timely testing, counselling, and treatment, and called for strengthened antenatal screening and universal access to prevention services to ensure that no child is born with HIV.
Highlighting the need for a whole-of-system approach, Dr. Gupta called upon stakeholders across national, state, and district levels to work in close synergy, particularly at the field level, to bridge existing gaps in awareness, testing, treatment, and adherence.
According to officials, the ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ serves as a vital platform for collaborative planning between national, state, and district stakeholders, reinforcing India’s coordinated, evidence-based, and data-driven approach to HIV prevention and testing services.
It also aims to improve linkage and retention on treatment, enhance viral load suppression among people living with HIV, and expand targeted outreach among vulnerable and key populations.
During the workshop, discussions were centred on strengthening programme implementation through enhanced inter-sectoral convergence, capacity building, and robust monitoring mechanisms, with particular emphasis on early diagnosis, prompt initiation of treatment, sustained adherence to ART, and the elimination of stigma and discrimination.
The initiative is aligned with India’s commitment to achieving the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, and reflects the government’s steadfast resolve to ensure a comprehensive, inclusive, and people-centric approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and control, ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare services for all, the union health ministry said in a statement.
The centre has so far held similar workshops in Guwahati for the three northeastern states, then in Bengaluru for Karnataka, and in Vijayawada for Andhra Pradesh.
In India, Mizoram has the highest HIV prevalence rates in the country at 2.75 per cent and an estimated burden exceeding 26,000 people living with HIV.