HIV spike stuns Uttarakhand hospital with 477 cases in just 15 months

According to reports, the majority of patients are men and few infected children likely contracted the virus from mothers

A staggering 477 people have tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) at Haldwani’s Dr Susheela Tiwari Government Hospital between January 2024 and March 2025, a number that has left health officials scrambling for answers. What is more alarming is that as many as 43 new cases were reported in March alone, ETV Bharat reported, citing hospital officials.

 

According to reports, Dr Vaibhav Kumar, nodal officer at the hospital’s Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre said the majority of patients are men, while a few are children who appear to have contracted the virus through vertical transmission, from mother to child.

 

 

ETV Bharat's report highlighted that the new HIV cases include 370 men, 98 women, eight children, and a transgender person. The report said about 38 inmates of the Haldwani Jail also tested positive. The report noted that most of the positive cases are drug abusers.

 

Describing the situation as ‘alarming’, Kumar said, “Every day, at least three new patients are coming in with the infection. Fear of ostracisation discourages many from registering, which adds to the challenge.” 

He cited syringe sharing among men addicted to drugs as the leading cause of the new infections. “In such cases, counselling has had little impact. The second most common cause is unprotected sex, which we are addressing through counselling and awareness efforts. Other departments are also involved in awareness campaigns,” he said.

 

Thousands of registered patients are visiting the hospital for follow-ups, he said, stressing the need to curb drug abuse. “We must find out where the drugs are coming from,” Dr Kumar said. 

Vertical transmission of HIV has become rare due to advances in medicine, he said, noting that preventive treatment during pregnancy and childbirth is now widely available.

 

According to the report, data from 2010 to March 2025 of Dr Sushila Tiwari Hospital shows that 4,824 HIV positive cases were reported during this period, of which 880 patients have died, while 450 patients have been transferred. Presently, 2,536 patients are undergoing treatment while 816 are out of it. As of year 2021, the state of Uttarakhand had 11,327 people living with HIV, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's (MoHFW) National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco).

HIV in India

As of 2023, India has an estimated 2.5 million people living with HIV, according to the MoHFW. The adult HIV prevalence rate is approximately 0.2 per cent, and annual new HIV infections are estimated at 66,400, a 44 per cent reduction since 2010. The Government of India enacted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act in 2017 to prevent discrimination against individuals with HIV and to enhance access to healthcare services.   For more health updates and wellness insights, follow #HealthWithBS