Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, the graph of AIDS and HIV-related deaths in Maharashtra has been upwards over the last years.
According to the activists, maximum deaths in Maharashtra are taking place due to the lack of timely interventions to fight these diseases, along with added infections such as tuberculosis, pneumonia and meningitis.
The latest data revealed that Maharashtra continues to record an average of 9,000 deaths in people living with HIV (PLHIV), every year. It accounts for at least 15% of the AIDS fatalities seen in India annually, as reported by Times of India.
Also read: COVID-19: Maharashtra’s Preparedness For Omicron
The state had recorded more than 47,000 (47086) deaths in HIV patients between 2016-17 and 2021-22 (October). There was a decline in deaths during the pandemic year (7,316 deaths); however, the reason can be due to a drop in HIV testing during the pandemic.
After a nationwide lockdown was announced due to the coronavirus outbreak, testing for HIV was declined in Maharashtra by 38%. While in Mumbai, the testing has declined by 50% since last March. Since the testing has declined, the cases detected in Mumbai dropped by 54%.
Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, only 12% of HIV patients are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Also read: Omicron Scare: All You Need To Know If You’re Travelling Across Maharashtra
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