Are 7,000 Karnataka students HIV-positive? Here's the truth
The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has dismissed viral social media and media reports claiming that 7,000 students in the state are infected with
The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has dismissed viral social media and media reports claiming that 7,000 students in the state are infected with HIV/AIDS and that the government has made HIV testing compulsory in colleges, calling the claims "false and misleading." KSAPS Project Director Padma Basavanthappa, IAS, said the department does not maintain HIV data based on categories such as students, housewives or family members, and therefore has no statistics specifically identifying students living with HIV. Read Full Story Refuting the widely circulated figure of 7,000, she said KSAPS has recorded around 39,000 HIV-positive individuals in the cumulative 18-35 age group since 2004, making the viral claim factually incorrect.
Basavanthappa also clarified that mandatory HIV testing is prohibited under the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017, which requires informed consent before a person can undergo HIV testing or begin treatment. She stressed that KSAPS is only conducting awareness programmes in colleges and other institutions to encourage voluntary testing. According to the Project Director, awareness campaigns are currently being held in colleges, industries, software companies, the police, transport and medical education sectors to promote safe practices and early detection. AROUND 56,000 UNAWARE OF HIV STATUS She said around 56,000 people in Karnataka are estimated to be unaware of their HIV status, while only about 12 per cent of HIV-positive individuals voluntarily walk into testing centres on their own.
This, she said, underlines the need for greater awareness and voluntary screening. To improve early detection, KSAPS has encouraged people to use the Break Free mobile application, which offers a confidential self-risk assessment through seven questions without collecting any personal information. Those identified as being at risk are advised to voluntarily visit the nearest Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) for testing. Basavanthappa said Karnataka continues to detect around 11,000 to 12,000 new HIV-positive cases every year, indicating that HIV remains a significant public health challenge. She added that changing social behaviour, including anonymous interactions through dating applications, has made contact tracing more difficult. She urged the public to practice safe sex, use condoms and seek counselling and testing whenever necessary.
The BriefWire