India has third largest number of people with HIV in the world

India accounted for 51 per cent of AIDS-related deaths in the region in 2013.

In the country of 1.3 billion population, the numbers of new HIV infections declined by 19 per cent, yet it still accounted for 38 per cent of all new HIV infections in the region.

Even though India's share of all AIDS-related deaths in the region was more than 62 per cent, the country recorded a 38 per cent decline in AIDS-related deaths between 2005 and 2013, said the report.

During this period, there was a major scale up of access to HIV treatment. At the end of 2013, more than 700 000 people were on antiretroviral therapy, the second largest number of people on treatment in any single country, it said.

HIV prevalence is estimated to be 28 times higher among people who inject drugs, 12 times higher among sex workers, 19 times higher among gay men and other men who have sex with men and up to 49 times higher among transgender women than among the rest of the adult population.

High HIV prevalence among female sex workers is one of the major factors in the spread of HIV in the region.

Of the 21 countries in the region from where reports are available, it is estimated that there are nearly 4.6 million women who sell sex. Without exception, HIV disproportionately affects sex workers in every country.

For example, in India, national HIV prevalence among sex workers is estimated to be 2.8 per cent; however, in Mumbai, HIV prevalence among sex workers was 22 per cent and 19 per cent in Vishakhapatnam, said the report.

Fortunately, a large number of countries have dedicated programmes to reach female sex workers. It is estimated that nearly half of all sex workers in the region have access to some form of HIV prevention services, including HIV testing and condoms.

In India, HIV prevalence among female sex workers dropped to 2.7 per cent from 10.3 per cent.

However, given the transient nature of sex work, national averages mask in- country differences. In India, for example, while national HIV prevalence among female sex workers declined, it increased in the states of Assam, Bihar and Madya Pradesh.

As for the region, the report said six countries-China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam- account for more than 90 per cent of the people living with HIV in the region.

It said four Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal and Pakistan-account for another six per cent of the total number of people living with HIV in the region.