Chennai, Nov 30 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Sunday reaffirmed the government's commitment to eliminating new HIV/AIDS infections by 2030, declaring that the State's decades-long, sustained campaign has placed it well ahead of the national average.  

Addressing an event on World AIDS Day 2025, observed on December 1, the Chief Minister described Tamil Nadu's progress as the result of nearly four decades of unwavering political will, strong public-health interventions and community participation.

Recalling that India's first HIV case was detected in Chennai in 1986, CM Stalin said Tamil Nadu has travelled "a long and determined 39-year journey" from that moment of alarm to becoming one of the country's strongest performers in HIV prevention and treatment.

He credited this achievement to consistent interventions led by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS), in partnership with non-governmental organisations, medical institutions and community-based groups.

The Chief Minister highlighted that Tamil Nadu has reduced HIV prevalence from 1.11 per cent in 2002 to just 0.16 per cent in 2023–24, significantly lower than the national average of 0.23 per cent, and a benchmark many states still aspire to reach.

He noted that these outcomes were possible due to the State's strong network of care facilities, which today includes 2,600 integrated counselling and testing centres, 81 anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres and 172 link ART units operating across districts.

CM Stalin also emphasised the state's comprehensive maternal-health protocol, under which all pregnant women are screened for HIV and syphilis to prevent mother-to-child transmission, a programme that has contributed to steep reductions in new paediatric HIV cases.

Reiterating the government's social commitment, the Chief Minister pointed to the monthly financial support of Rs 1,000 provided to 7,618 HIV-infected and affected children to aid their nutrition, education and healthcare needs.

Referring to this year's World AIDS Day theme, "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response," CM Stalin said the road ahead requires renewed strategies to address emerging vulnerabilities in a rapidly changing world.

He urged people to stand against stigma and discrimination, and treat individuals living with HIV with dignity, respect and compassion as Tamil Nadu works toward a future free of new HIV/AIDS infections.