Patna: The Bihar State AIDS Control Society (BSACS) has rejected media reports claiming a rapid rise in HIV cases in Sitamarhi district, calling them “far from the truth” and “misleading.” Several electronic media outlets and newspapers recently suggested that the number of HIV-positive patients in the district was increasing sharply.
Authorities clarified that Sitamarhi’s Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programme began in 2012 and its first Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) was set up in 2005. Since then, around 6,900 HIV-infected patients have been registered — a cumulative figure spanning two decades. Many of these patients have since died or moved to other districts for treatment.
At present, 4,958 patients are regularly receiving ART medicines at the Sitamarhi centre. Between April and October of the 2025–26 reporting year, 200 new HIV cases were identified.
Daily visits reflect ongoing treatment, not new infections
खंडन
दिनांक 11 दिसंबर 2025
कुछ इलेक्ट्रॉनिक चैनलों एवं समाचार पत्र के माध्यम से सीतामढ़ी जिले में एचआईवी संक्रमित मरीज के बारे में जो खबर चलाई गई है वह तथ्य से परे है।@IPRDBihar @mangalpandeybjp pic.twitter.com/YLJ6lMexzT— Bihar Health Dept (@BiharHealthDept) December 11, 2025
Officials said media reports had wrongly implied that large numbers of new patients were appearing each day. In reality, they said, only previously registered patients visit the ART centre daily to collect medication or receive counselling and follow-up care.
On reports of infections among children, the Society clarified that only those whose parents were already HIV-positive have been affected. Since 2005, 188 such children have been registered and all are receiving regular treatment as well as financial assistance through social security schemes.
Call for empathy and testing, not stigma
BSACS urged the public to avoid discrimination against people living with HIV and encouraged widespread testing — particularly among pregnant women, tuberculosis patients, people with sexually transmitted infections and individuals in high-risk groups.
The Society emphasised that HIV does not spread through casual contact and appealed for “sensitivity, respect and cooperation” towards those affected.
