Shimla, Dec 1 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Wednesday said the state has registered a sharp decline in the number of HIV/AIDS cases over the past few years.
‘The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate has come down from 0.36 percent to 0.03 percent. This success was achieved due to aggressive sensitisation drives carried out by the state against the scourge,’ the chief minister said here, while launching a 25-day statewide awareness campaign against the disease.
The state has a total of 4,829 cases of HIV as of Dec 1, 2010, including 1,145 cases of AIDS, he said.
The chief minister said 77,104 women got themselves examined for HIV/AIDS during the past two years.
The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to disseminate information about HIV/AIDS during the morning prayer session of 1,246 senior secondary schools in the state, covering 273,488 students.
