KSAPS Issues Clarification: HIV Testing Voluntary, Viral Claims Not True
Issuing a video message, Padma Basavanthappa, Project Director of the AIDS Prevention Society, Karnataka, clarified that mandatory testing is prohibited by law and highlighted the government's focus on voluntary risk assessment through digital platforms
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has strongly refuted viral social media claims and media reports alleging that HIV testing has been made mandatory for college students across the state. The institute also categorically denied rumours suggesting that 7,000 students in Karnataka have recently tested positive for HIV, calling the reports "baseless".
Issuing a video message, Padma Basavanthappa, Project Director of the AIDS Prevention Society, Karnataka, clarified that mandatory testing is prohibited by law and highlighted the government's focus on voluntary risk assessment through digital platforms.
"Wrong messages regarding mandatory testing of HIV are being spread around in the social media, in the news media, and also in papers," Basavanthappa said in an official statement.
Clarifying the current statistics regarding HIV prevalence in the state, she said, "As per the Sankalak, the prevalence rate in Karnataka is 2,91,341. Of this, 2,03,000 are with us, and they are on medication. Some numbers represent those who have passed away, and some are treated in the private sector. There is a gap of 56,000 shown in the data."
Breaking down the figures further, she explained, "In this gap, 18,000 are in the private sector, and we have listed those sectors. The remaining 38,000 are people who are positive but are not yet identified. They don't know their own status and may be spreading HIV wherever they are engaging in sexual activities."
The Project Director noted that modern lifestyle changes and digital platforms have made it increasingly difficult for health officials to trace high-risk individuals.
"It has become very difficult for us to identify these people due to dating apps and the virtual mode of meeting people, where they don't know each other's addresses and we are not able to trace them.
Therefore, creating awareness is the only way to ensure people perform their own risk assessment and link back to our centres," she added.To combat this, KSAPS has introduced a technology-driven awareness campaign involving QR codes and the 'BreakFree' mobile application.
"We are creating awareness through a QR code for the BreakFree app. By scanning the code, users answer questions for a risk assessment. Any person identified as being at risk can connect to a counsellor through the app or locate testing centres. All centres across India are listed there," Basavanthappa explained.
Reiterating that the government cannot force any individual to undergo testing, she cited the national legal framework."On assessing their risk, if they feel they are at risk, they should come to our centres for HIV identification and further treatment. Nowhere are we asking for mandatory testing, because mandatory testing is against the rules. As per the AIDS Prevention and Control Act 2017, no person can be mandated to undergo HIV testing," she said.
