The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Highest prevalence of AIDS in State'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Highest prevalence of AIDS in State'

Special Correspondent

Prevalence substantially higher in Andhra Pradesh than all-India average

HYDERABAD : With HIV becoming a generalised epidemic in the State, it was found that the prevalence of sex with non-regular partners (NRPs) was substantially higher in Andhra Pradesh than the all-India average.

The State has the highest prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in the country, having recorded two per cent in the low-risk general adult population represented by women attending antenatal clinics (urban) and 22.8 per cent in the high-risk people.

Details mentioned in an operation manual released during the launch of `Aasha-II' here on Tuesday stated that 19 per cent of men and seven per cent of women had sex with NRPs in the State, as against the all-India average of 12 per cent (men) and two per cent (women).

Other factors

In a few coastal districts, the prevalence rates of sex with NRPs was much higher. In Guntur, 38 per cent of married men and 10 per cent of married women reported sex with NRPs.

Other factors for rapid growth of the epidemic include high prevalence of sexually-transmitted infections in men and women (seven per cent), low condom use rate with NRPs (25 per cent) as against the national average of 32 per cent.

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