A hundred villages in the district are marked as worse affected villages. The state has four more districts in the state in the A category.

In a recent survey conducted by the District Aids Control Committee (DACC) in Deoria, it was found that the district has the highest number of HIV positive persons in the age group of 0 to 14 years. Worse, 233 children in Deoria have been tested HIV positive and of these only 23 are receiving medical support.

Deoria District Magistrate and chairman of the district committee Dr JB Sinha told The Indian Express,” Large scale migration from the district is one of the major reasons for the spread of HIV.” He added: “While some of the children have been identified and are getting medical support, children of many HIV positive couples are still not receiving medical care.”

According to recent statistics of Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres in the state, Uttar Pradesh has 509 HIV positive boys and 246 girls below the age group of 15. Experts, however, feel that the data is highly underestimated and tests should be conducted across the state for determining the correct numbers.

The DACC and the Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society have also marked 100 vulnerable villages in Deoria, especially for the 0-14 year age group. The society will focus on preventing the spread of the disease and providing medical support to the people, besides spreading awareness among the migrant communities.

“We will appoint two workers for five villages each, who will identify and provide medical support to the positive people,” said Sinha.