Punjab HIV cases up nearly 59% since 2010, 6,785 diagnosed
India
Punjab's new HIV cases have shot up by nearly 59% since 2010, with 6,785 people newly diagnosed in 2024 alone, making it the second-highest in India.
While nearby states like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have much lower rates, Punjab's numbers are especially worrying for young people and those in their prime years.
Needle sharing tied to Punjab infections
Over half of these new HIV infections are tied to injectable drug use and sharing contaminated syringes.
Even though 63,06,538 clean needles were distributed and thousands joined treatment programs in 2024-25, unsafe injection habits remain a big problem.
To make things tougher, deaths from HIV in Punjab have more than doubled since 2020, showing there's still a lot of work ahead.