HIV Cases Cross 97,000 In Bihar; Experts Caution
Experts attribute the major reason for inter-state migration and unprotected sex while calling for awareness to tackle the health issue.
Published : December 11, 2025 at 5:12 PM IST
By Dharmendra Kumar Jha/Krishnanandan
Patna/Sitamarhi: Deepak Kumar (name changed), a resident of Sitamarhi in Bihar worked as a laborer in Haryana. When he returned home two and a half years ago, he fell ill and was taken by his family to the hospital, where he tested HIV(Human Immunodeficiency Virus) positive. Now, Deepak and his family are worried about how they will manage their lives given the stigma attached to the disease. Deepak is not alone with over 97,000 people in Bihar infected with the disease including children as per official data.
HIV And AIDS
According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), HIV, which spreads through body fluids like blood, semen and vaginal secretions besides breast milk from mother to baby, attacks the body's white blood cells. This virus destroys the body's CD4 cells, which play a crucial role in protecting the body from infection. If left untreated, this virus completely weakens the body. This makes the body's immune system weak leaving the patient vulnerable to other infections. Untreated HIV leads to AIDS(Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) in the longer run.
97,000 HIV Cases And Counting
Dr. Narendra Kumar Gupta, Additional Project Director of the Bihar State AIDS Control Society, said that the current number of active HIV-positive patients in the state is 97,046.
Case Study 1
At a village in the Suppi block of Sitamarhi, a woman and her son are HIV positive. It is understood that the woman's husband used to drive an auto-rickshaw in Delhi. The woman said her husband was HIV positive and she contracted the disease after she went to Delhi with her husband. Their child also contracted the disease during pregnancy. However, she and her child are doing well thanks to the ART(Antiretroviral Therapy) provided by the health department.
Case Study 2
At another village in the Parihar block of the district, a man who worked in an Arab country was found to be HIV positive during a medical examination upon his return. His wife was also found to be HIV positive. Now, the couple is taking the medication provided by the health department. The man said that if he had been more careful earlier, he wouldn't have had to face this situation.
Case Study 3
A man from a village in Bairgania on the Indo-Nepal border, his wife, and their child have all tested positive for HIV. The husband worked as a laborer in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he contracted HIV. When he returned to his village, he transmitted the virus to his wife, and subsequently, their child also got the virus during pregnancy.
According to officials, in Sitamarhi district, an estimated 7,400 people are infected with HIV while those on ART medication are 4,957, including 341 children under the age of 15. According to the data registered at the ART center, previously, people aged 30 to 50 were primarily infected, but now children are also becoming victims to HIV.
Dr. Akhilesh Kumar, a Civil Surgeon in Sitamarhi who deals with the HIV cases, primarily attributes the rise in the cases to the frequent movement of people across states and the India-Nepal border. “The number of cases has increased because many people go to other states for work. Moreover, the border with neighboring Nepal is open, allowing people to easily cross back and forth, which is also suspected of contributing to the increase in the number of patients," he said.
How Is HIV Transmitted?
There are several ways it spreads. These include unprotected sexual contact and blood contact, such as through contaminated injections and the reuse of used syringes. It can also be transmitted from mother to child. If the parents are infected, the child can contract HIV through breastfeeding.
Dr. Narendra Kumar Gupta, Additional Project Director of the Bihar State AIDS Control Society, attributed the major reason for HIV transmission in Bihar to migration.
“A large number of people from the labor class go to other states to earn a living. They have sexual needs, and to fulfill these needs, they go to the wrong places. When they go to such places, they engage in unprotected sex, which leads to infection,” he said.
“Once infected, when they return home and have a relationship with their wife, their wife also becomes infected. If the woman is infected, the chances of her child contracting HIV infection increase manifold,”Gupta added.
Modes Of Transmission
Dr. Narendra Gupta explained that there are four main causes of HIV infection. The first cause is unprotected sex he said. “People are not loyal to their partners and have sex with multiple partners without using condoms. If there is a need for sex and they are having sex with multiple partners, then the use of condoms becomes absolutely essential. Additionally, unprotected sex between men is a major cause of infection”.
The second cause of HIV transmission as per Gupta is infected blood. He said that if someone has been infected with HIV, the level of infection in their blood cannot be detected in the first three months.
“Some machines are now available that can determine the status of the HIV in 15 days, but these are not yet available everywhere in blood banks”.
Another major cause is the use of infected needles as per Gupta. “This significantly increases the risk of HIV infection among drug users. The fourth cause is mother-to-child transmission. If the mother is HIV-infected and the viral load is more than 1000, there is a high risk of the child becoming infected,” he said.
Symptoms
According to Gupta, symptoms of the disease include fever, fatigue, night sweats, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, swollen lymph nodes (in the neck, shoulders, and groin), and skin rashes. Rapid weight loss without any exercise is also a possible symptom while loss of appetite may also occur.
"HIV has now become a form of lifestyle disease. If HIV patients take their medication regularly at a fixed time every day, they can lead a healthy and better life. However, if HIV-positive individuals want to have sex, the use of condoms for protection is mandatory. If this is not done, the condition of one of the partners may worsen, especially the one with a higher viral load," Gupta said.
HIV And Social Stigma
An HIV-positive laborer said that people who know that his entire family is HIV-positive look down on them. “Many people even hesitate to talk to us, despite awareness campaigns being conducted to emphasize that it is not a contagious disease. Despite this, people still maintain their old mindset and keep their distance”.
Awareness The Key
Over the rising HIV cases in the state, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey said that the government has established a separate Bihar AIDS Control Society to tackle the issue.
"Continuous awareness campaigns are being conducted. The areas where these patients have been found are being investigated. The AIDS Society is working to determine the circumstances under which these cases have increased. The Health Department is monitoring the situation," Pandey said.
Treatment Through ART
Although HIV is not fully curable, the vital antiretroviral therapy(ART), the drugs administered to the patients prevent the virus from further replicating in the body and strengthen the body's immune system to fight other infections.
According to the WHO, ART must be taken by the HIV patient every day for the rest of a person’s life. The drug lowers the amount of the virus in a person’s body and allows the patient to live full and healthy lives.
In Bihar, there are testing facilities at 32 locations. Patna alone has three centers. There are approximately 7000 active HIV patients in the capital who receive routine medication from the ART center. After Patna, districts like Madhubani, Chhapra, Begusarai, Motihari, and Gaya have between 5000 and 6500 active patients as per officials.
A total of 3899 patients who have registered under the Bihar Centenary AIDS Victims Welfare Scheme are being given Rs 1500 per month. For infected individuals under 18 years of age, Rs 1000 per month is being given under the Child Care Scheme. "Every person should get tested to find out if their report is positive or negative. If the report is positive, they should register at an ART center and start taking medication. In addition, monthly counseling is mandatory," said Dr. Javed, Nodal Officer at an ART center.
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