Nearly 60,000 HIV cases in India this year

New Delhi: Nearly 60,000 HIV positive cases have been reported in the country from January to March this year, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said Friday.A total of "299,513 HIV positive persons were identified during 2009 and 59,447 have been identified between January to March 2010", Azad informed the Lok Sabha.

Of the 59,447 cases, Karnataka recorded the highest number at 13,243. Andhra Pradesh followed a close second at 13,212. In 2009, Andhra Pradesh topped the list with 65,748 cases. "Estimated number of persons living with HIV has reduced over the years, from 27.3 lakh in 2002 to 22.7 lakh in 2008," Azad said. IANS