Bengaluru, 30 July

The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has clarified that reports circulating on social media claiming that 7,000 college students in Karnataka have tested positive for HIV is completely false.

The State government launched the Mobilisation for AIDS Suraksha (MAS) programme and the Red Ribbon awareness campaign to conduct various awareness activities about HIV/AIDs among students over a period of eight months, a release on Thursday stated.

The KSAPS Project Director stated that between 2004 until now (about 22 years), a total of 39,028 people aged 18 to 35 have been receiving HIV treatment in Karnataka. This figure was incorrectly interpreted and reported by the media, the release added.

The reports also emerged after VTU directed all affiliate colleges to test conduct HIV screening for students.

Under the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017, there is no legal provision to make HIV testing mandatory for any individual. Therefore, HIV testing has not been made compulsory in colleges or anywhere else, the release noted.

It noted that around 56,000 people in Karnataka are likely unaware of their HIV status as they have not been tested. Hence, the government has introduced several measures, including:

QR code-based self-assessment: By scanning the QR code available on the breakfreeindia.org website, people can complete an HIV Self Risk Assessment. If they are at risk, the platform guides users to visit their nearest Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) for testing.

Awareness through mascots and dating apps: A Mascot campaign has been launched to promote HIV awareness. In addition, advertisements are being placed on dating apps.

The government has also stepped up its coordination among different agencies.