Amaravati, November 30, 2025: Andhra Pradesh has emerged as India's frontrunner in curbing HIV, with an adult prevalence rate of 0.25% down from 0.3% in 2019, marking the lowest among all states, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced Friday.
The milestone, celebrated during an awareness event, stems from a robust testing and treatment drive that reached 95% viral suppression among diagnosed cases, ensuring most patients live healthy lives while curbing transmission.
"Our success is a testament to community engagement and timely interventions," Yadav said, crediting the National AIDS Control Programme for screening 1.2 crore people and linking 1.5 lakh to free antiretrovirals.
The state's coastal districts, like Visakhapatnam and Nellore, lead with aggressive outreach in high-risk zones such as ports and fishing communities, where migrant workers and sex work fuel spread.
Initiatives include mobile clinics, stigma-reduction campaigns, and partnerships with NGOs for 24/7 counselling, reducing new infections by 20% annually. Yadav highlighted the role of ASHA workers in door-to-door testing, which identified 12,000 cases last year, with 98% initiated on therapy within 72 hours.
