Times of India
27 November 2010
Pune, India

741 Deaths In Pune; Toll 7,263 In State
As many as 7,263 people have succumbed to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Maharashtra between August 1986 and September 2010.

Reported AIDS cases during the period are 98,697, of which the highest disease contributing district is Pune with 17,258 cases. This is revealed in the state health department’s AIDS surveillance report published on Friday ahead of the world AIDS Day on December 1.

Surprisingly, Sangli has topped the death chart with highest 889 deaths during 1986–2010. Pune stands second on the chart with 741 deaths, followed by Nagpur (430), Nasik (428), Thane (396), Aurangabad (372) and Dhule (329).

"The total number of cases reported in Sangli is 4,763. Of these, 889 people have succumbed to the infection. Pune, which has reported highest 17,258 cases has stood second on the death chart with 741 deaths," states the report.

As per the findings of the report, of the total 7,263 deaths due to AIDS in the state so far, as many as 1,138 occurred between January and September this year.

"A total 9,732 AIDS cases have been reported during January–September 2010, of which 1,138 people succumbed to the dreaded infection," states the government report.

According to a study conducted by Population Foundation of India, a Delhi–based NGO funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, workers in the hotel and tourism industry had the highest HIV prevalence among groups tested in the state, followed by drivers and the unemployed.

"Truck drivers, who travel long distances, brought the infection with them, often to areas where the disease had not yet penetrated," says Uttam Zagade, executive director of Sevadham Trust, which works in the field of HIV prevention among highrisk groups, including truck drivers.