CM Dr Manik Saha posts comments in social media on misgivings created by media reports on HIV infections and deaths

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 11, 2024

The chief minister Dr Manik Saha has taken exception to reports in a section of media on HIV infections and deaths in the state as these reports , according to him , have created misgivings in the minds of people. Dr Saha posted a comment on the issue in his page on the social media giant ‘Facebook’ yesterday. He however did not refer to media reports by name on the matter.

He said that the government of Tripura has been taking various measures to prevent the spread of deadly HIV/AIDs in the state. Quoting data furnished by the AIDS control society, the chief minister said in his social media comment that over a long period of 17 years between April 2007 and May 2024, a total of 828 students have tested HIV-positive and 47 have lost their lives. All affected students have received or have been receiving free Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) as per guidelines issued by the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), the chief minister added in his comment.

According to data furnished by the Aids Control Society, it is clear that the spurt in HIV detection had commenced from the year 2018-2019 when 23 HIV positive patients had been registered and 3 had died but the registration figure had shot up to 74 in the very next year when 11 students had died. Since then the registration figure has been growing steadily in year on year basis from 82,162,227, 154 in subsequent years though death toll was remarkably low at 5,7,7,2 during the same period. In the current 2024-2025 year 17 students with HIV positive status have already been registered though no death has occurred so far.