HIV estimate 2015 highlights that there has been an overall reduction in adult HIV prevalence as well as new infections (HIV incidence) in the State of West Bengal. The analysis of epidemic projections has revealed that the number of annual new HIV infections has declined by more than 50 percent during the last decade. This is one of the most important evidence on impact of the various interventions under the National AIDS Control Programme and scaled-up prevention strategies as adopted by the state. The wider access to ART has resulted in a decline of the number of people dying of AIDS related causes. The trend of annual AIDS deaths is showing a steady decline since the roll out of the free ART programme in West Bengal in 2005.
While declining trends are evident at national level as well as in our State, some low prevalent and vulnerable districts have shown rising trends in HIV epidemic, warranting a focused prevention approach and intervention in these areas. HIV prevalence is showing downhill trends among Female Sex Workers, Injecting Drug Users and Single Male Migrants at West Bengal. However, Men who have Sex with Men and Truckers are emerging as potential risk groups in our State. The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), launched in 1992, is being implemented as a comprehensive programme for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India. Over time, the focus has shifted from raising awareness to behaviour change, from a national response to a more decent ralised response and to increasing involvement of NGOs and networks of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).
NACP-IV has placed the highest priority on preventive efforts. At the same time, it seeks to integrate prevention with care, support and treatment through a four-pronged strategy:

1. Preventing new infections in high risk groups and general population through saturation of coverage of high risk groups with targeted interventions and scaled up interventions in the general population.
2. Providing greater care, support and treatment to larger number of PLHA.
3. Strengthening the infrastructure, systems and human resources in prevention, care, support and treatment programmes at the district, state and national levels.
4. Strengthening the nationwide Strategic Information Management System (SIMS).

Like the rest of India, West Bengal also has diverse communities and networks of MSM / transgender people, female sex workers, truckers, migrants and the remaining HIV+ population who face stigma and discrimination in various spheres of day-to-day life including a hostile legal environment and meager representation in the mass media, once their HIV status gets revealed somehow. This culminates into lowering their self-esteem and silencing their sexual health concerns. Moreover there is a negative repercussion on their social position held so long demoting it to the extent of- deprivation of any social recognition. Many a times it has been noticed that PLWHA are dispossessed of their family, work place and regrettably- even their basic Rights. There are a host of social, cultural and economic factors that influence the spread of HIV infection in West Bengal and increase the vulnerability thus affirming the epidemic. According to government estimates of 2009-2010, 29.8% of West Bengal's population lives below poverty line. Poverty is associated with weak endowments of human and financial resources-pitiable educational level along with level of literacy far from reaching up to the mark besides few marketable skills. All these factors resulted into poor health status in general and low labor productivity. A crucial aspect of the health status of the poor is the high prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated sexually transmitted infections -STIs (or sexually transmitted diseases STDs) a significant co-factor in HIV transmission. West Bengal shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. A range of socio-economic factors in the region accompanied with weak regulatory measures have led to burgeoning cross-border human trafficking particularly of women and children. West Bengal is both a destination and a conduit for trafficking in humans, many of whom face sexual exploitation. The state is also a source of human trafficking bound for western India and beyond Indian shores to West Asia. Trafficking and sexual exploitation constitute a potent combination that facilitates the spread of HIV in the state.

Status Of HIV Positive Women :

Nearly 40% of the 5.2 million HIV positive people in India are women and nearly 80% of them have contracted this infection from their husbands or partners. Almost 90 % of these positive women are driven out of their homes after their husbands died of AIDS. While the majority of lay people continue to believe that most women with HIV/AIDS are sex workers, official numbers indicate that they constitute less than one percent of the 2 million infected female populations.