Tripura: Over 800 test positive for HIV, 47 dead; drug abuse cited as primary cause

A senior official of the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS) said that as many as forty-seven students have died from HIV in Tripura and 828 have tested HIV-positive, according to reports.

As many as 47 students died from HIV in Tripura, and 828 have tested HIV-positive, according to a senior official of the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS). "So far, 828 students who are HIV positive have been registered. Of these, 572 students are still with us, while 47 have passed away from the dreadful sickness. Many of the kids have left Tripura to pursue further education at highly sought-after universities throughout the nation," according to a top TSACS official.

According to the Tripura AIDS Control Society, students who use injectable pharmaceuticals come from as many as 220 schools and 24 colleges and institutions. Furthermore, according to current data, five to seven new cases of HIV are discovered virtually daily, according to a top TSACS officer.

Elaborating the situation in the northeastern state, Joint Director of TSACS shared a statistical presentation of the overall scenario of HIV.

"Till May 2024, we have registered 8,729 people in the ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) centres. The total number of people who are alive with HIV is 5,674. Among them, 4,570 are males, while 1,103 are females. Only one patient among them is a transgender", a senior official added. 

In the report, drug abuse has been cited as the primary cause behind the spread of the HIV infection. 

Holding intervenous drug abuse accountable for the HIV cases a senior official said, "In most of the cases, the children belong to affluent families who are detected positive to HIV. There are families where both parents are in government service and don't hesitate in fulfilling the demands of the children. By the time they realize that their children fell prey to drugs, it was too late."