<p>Jammu and Kashmir has a total number of 6982 people with HIV/AIDS, out of which 3299 are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).</p>.<p>The ART is a process in which people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are treated using anti-HIV drugs. According to the figures of J&K Aids Control Society (JKACS), out of the total 6982 registered patients as of September 2022, 3299 are on the ART.</p>.<p>The number of people living with HIV is lesser in Kashmir as compared to Jammu. This trend is perhaps due to the conservative social structure and influence of religion in the Muslim majority state.<br /> <br />“In the Muslim society that we live in, there is not much intermixing of sexes. Although many locals are being treated here, the majority of patients at this ART centre are non-locals,” said Dr Mohammad Lateef Charoo, senior medical officer, ART Centre at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura .</p>.<p>The first HIV positive case in Kashmir was detected in 1986 when a Kashmiri businessman who had returned from Germany was tested positive for the infection.</p>.<p>However, experts say that due to social stigma, people are not coming forward for the HIV tests and over the years the number of patients infected by HIV has shown a rising trend.</p>.<p>“A person suffering from AIDS is unfortunately often regarded as a stigma in the society and such people often become victims of ostracism, rejection and discrimination,” a doctor at the JKACS told DH.</p>.<p>He said that Jammu & Kashmir was at a greater risk of HIV because of being a tourist destination. “In most of the patients who have been tested positive for HIV AIDS in J&K, there was an outside contact. Drug addicts are at higher risk of contracting HIV and if they are married or are sexually active, they transmit this to their partners as well,” the doctor added.<br /> </p>
<p>Jammu and Kashmir has a total number of 6982 people with HIV/AIDS, out of which 3299 are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).</p>.<p>The ART is a process in which people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are treated using anti-HIV drugs. According to the figures of J&K Aids Control Society (JKACS), out of the total 6982 registered patients as of September 2022, 3299 are on the ART.</p>.<p>The number of people living with HIV is lesser in Kashmir as compared to Jammu. This trend is perhaps due to the conservative social structure and influence of religion in the Muslim majority state.<br /> <br />“In the Muslim society that we live in, there is not much intermixing of sexes. Although many locals are being treated here, the majority of patients at this ART centre are non-locals,” said Dr Mohammad Lateef Charoo, senior medical officer, ART Centre at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura .</p>.<p>The first HIV positive case in Kashmir was detected in 1986 when a Kashmiri businessman who had returned from Germany was tested positive for the infection.</p>.<p>However, experts say that due to social stigma, people are not coming forward for the HIV tests and over the years the number of patients infected by HIV has shown a rising trend.</p>.<p>“A person suffering from AIDS is unfortunately often regarded as a stigma in the society and such people often become victims of ostracism, rejection and discrimination,” a doctor at the JKACS told DH.</p>.<p>He said that Jammu & Kashmir was at a greater risk of HIV because of being a tourist destination. “In most of the patients who have been tested positive for HIV AIDS in J&K, there was an outside contact. Drug addicts are at higher risk of contracting HIV and if they are married or are sexually active, they transmit this to their partners as well,” the doctor added.<br /> </p>
