Recently, 2011 Aids report was released by the United Nations which highlighted several statistical facts of HIV scenario in India. It pointed out that there was a 50% decline in the number of new cases of HIV in last 10 years and at the same time it suggested that around 2.3 million people were living with this infection in India.

Referring to mother-to-child transmission as a major problematic area, the report stated that the maximum numbers of cases were being reported from the south and the north-eastern part of the country.

Charles Gilks, UNAIDS Country Coordinator, said, “We are coordinating with the state and Central governments to reach out to pregnant women in these areas under their National Rural Health Mission. Institutional deliveries need to be encouraged so that pregnant women are tested for the disease as a preventive measure”.

In this report, the UN Secretary General has also made some recommendations to fight this malignant disease and she believed that involving youth, making treatment more cost-effective and focusing on women and girls were some measures which should be seriously considered in order to minimize the HIV new cases.

JVR Prasada Rao, special advisor to the Executive Director, UNAIDS talked about his plans of making full use of the internet to spread awareness about the disease.