477 new HIV-positive cases have been reported in 15 months at Haldwani’s Dr Sushila Tiwari Government Hospital between January 2024 and March 2025. The majority of patients are male, while infected children are likely to have received the virus from their mothers, said the nodal officer of the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre at the hospital, Dr Vaibhav Kumar.

“This is an alarming trend. Every day, we are seeing at least three new patients with the infection. There is a fear of ostracisation, which makes it harder to get patients to register,” said Dr Kumar.

Main Cause of Virus Spread

“The primary cause is the sharing of syringes by men addicted to drugs. In this case, counselling has rarely worked. The second common cause is unprotected sex. However, we have been addressing this through counselling of people,” he further adds. Other departments of the state government have also taken up the issue to spread awareness. Drug abuse is rampant in the area and can be one of the major reasons for the spread of the virus.

However, another important factor that can cause the spread is vertical transmission, which occurs when the infection comes to offspring directly from the parent, mainly during pregnancy or childbirth. Even though this condition has become rare with advanced medicines, it cannot be ruled out.