World AIDS Day: Aim Is To Make Odisha A State With Zero AIDS Patient By 2030, Says Health Minister

Bhubaneswar, Dec 1: Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling has said that the state government has a vision to make Odisha a state with zero AIDS patient by 2030.

Giving his view on World AIDS Day Sunday, Mahaling said, "The Odisha government is aiming to make it a state with zero AIDS patient by 2030."

World AIDS Day is observed annually December 1 since 1988. It serves as a global platform to unite people in raising awareness about HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) /AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and demonstrating solidarity against the pandemic.

Shedding light on the active number of cases, the state Health Minister said that Ganjam has the highest number of AIDS patients among districts in Odisha.

"Our data shows that we have 50,000 active cases of AIDS in Odisha. Ganjam has the highest number of cases with 20,000 patients. Sonepur is lowest in the list with 150 active AIDS cases," informed Mukesh Mahaling.

The Health Minister said that the Odisha government is continuously making efforts to curb the number of cases and to eventually bring it down to zero with conducting awareness programmes throughout the state.