Extremely worrying news has emerged from Sitamarhi district in Bihar. The number of people infected with HIV (AIDS) is rapidly increasing in the district, and the figure is now reported to be over 7,000. Nearly 400 children have also been found HIV positive. This huge figure has created panic within the health department and administration.
Media reports give different figures, but the situation is serious.
Various media reports are reporting varying numbers of HIV-infected patients, but almost all report numbers at over 7,000, which is extremely worrying. The Health Department has immediately issued orders to intensify awareness campaigns, testing camps, and testing throughout the district.
40–60 new HIV patients are being detected every month
The report from the ART (Anti Retroviral Therapy) Center at Sitamarhi District Hospital is extremely alarming. Every month, 40 to 60 new HIV patients are registering. This ART center has become a high-load center for the entire state of Bihar. Most worryingly, the majority of those infected are young children, who acquired the disease from their parents at birth. Following the data, the health department has been holding meetings continuously, as such a large number of cases have never been reported before.
Panic in the health department – ​​how did so many patients increase?
The discovery of more than 7,000 HIV patients has left health officials in a state of panic. The department is now trying to understand how such a large number of people became infected.