Udupi: Udupi District Health and Family Welfare Officer Rohini said on Thursday that the increasing awareness and persistent efforts by the Health Department were bringing down the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the district.

Addressing presspersons here, Dr. Rohini said that Udupi was in the 27th place in the State in the district-wise percent of HIV positive cases detected among general clients in 2017-18, with 0.53%.

It was in the 28th place in the district-wise percent of HIV positive cases detected among pregnant women for 2017-18, with 0.02%.

From 2007-08 to October 2018, the number of persons on Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) in the district was 3,695. This included 1,610 adult males, 1,870 adult females, 112 male children and 95 female children.

Under HIV counselling and testing services in the district under the National AIDS Control Programme, the number of persons who had tested HIV positive had shown a decline in the last seven years.

The number of persons who tested HIV positive among the general clients was 1,021 in 2011-12. It come down to 283 in 2017-18, and it is 210 till October 2018.

The number of pregnant women who had tested positive for HIV in the district had come down from 39 in 2011-12 to 10 in 2017-18, and stood at three till October 2018. There were 13 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres in the district. There were facilities for HIV testing in all primary health centres in the district.

Eligible HIV positive persons could avail themselves of free Anti Retroviral Treatment at the District Government Hospital here and at the ART Centre at the Taluk Government Hospital in Kundapur.

Those having queries regarding HIV/AIDS could call the toll free number, Ph: 1097, or the District AIDS Control and Prevention Cell on Ph: 0820-2522055.

To create awareness about HIV/AIDS, Red Ribbon Clubs had been started in 35 colleges in the district. Awareness on HIV/AIDS was being created in high schools under the Adolescent Education Programme. The World AIDS Day function would be held at SMS Pre-University College in Brahmavar on Saturday, Dr. Rohini said.

District AIDS Control Officer Chidananda Sanju was present.