Bihar’s Sitamarhi district is facing a serious health crisis after new data showed that more than 7,400 people are living with HIV, including over 400 children. The figures were shared by the Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre (ART Centre) at the district hospital, which confirmed that many children became infected because their parents were HIV positive.
Doctors at the centre said most of these cases involve families where one or both parents carry the virus, leading to transmission at birth. They described the rise in infections as extremely worrying. Dr Haseen Akhtar, a medical officer at the ART Centre, said awareness in the district remains very low despite multiple campaigns. “We record 40 to 60 new HIV cases every month,” he said. “Sitamarhi has now become a high-load HIV centre, which is extremely concerning.”
The centre is currently providing medicines to nearly 5,000 patients. Officials say the spike in cases is linked to several social factors, including marriages performed without any health checks, large-scale migration for work, a lack of understanding about how HIV spreads, and the fear and stigma that stop people from getting tested.
With the number of infections rising every month, the district administration has begun expanding awareness drives. The ART Centre is planning new outreach programmes, and health workers are preparing to conduct HIV testing camps in local villages to encourage people to come forward early.
Health experts say the situation should be treated as a warning for both the district and the state. They stress that it is important to spread information about safe sexual practices, the dangers of using contaminated needles, and the need for regular HIV tests. Officials warn that if education and testing do not increase soon, the situation in Sitamarhi could become even more serious in the coming months.
