Increasing awareness among the people about AIDS has led to a reduction of HIV infection among the antenatal cases in Andhra Pradesh. The awareness level among the urban women has gone up from 44 per cent in 1998 to 96 per cent in 2002. Prevalence of HIV among antenatals has declined from 2.44 per cent in 1999 to 1.62 per cent at present. HIV transmission through blood transfusion has declined from four per cent to one per cent. People accessing voluntary counseling centres have increased and condom use has gone up.

Patients suffering from AIDS related ailments are subjected to social discrimination, which worries them than the disease itself. There is a need for adoption of a multi-sectoral and multi-pronged strategy including aggressive campaigns, K Siva Prasada Rao, state minister for Health, explained.

The AP state AIDS Control Society, project director, K Damanyanti said that if the spread of HIV is not checked at this stage, the state will have to face multiple epidemics in the future.