As many as nearly 46,000 people are living with HIV infection in Odisha, a survey has revealed here.

As the World AIDS Day was celebrated on December 1 across the globe creating awareness among people about HIV pandemic, the survey said that a total of 28.9 million AIDS-affected persons have succumbed to the deadly disease across the world last year.

While 46,000 are tested HIV-positive in Odisha, the coastal district of Ganjam

has topped in the list with 15,034 HIV-infected patients in the State.

Cuttack district has a population of 6,264 HIV-infected. About 2,745 HIV-positive patients have been identified in Sambalpur district, 2,523 in Khordha, 2,356 in Koraput, 1,655 in Angul, 1,460 in Baleswar and 1,334 in Balangir district.

The central district of Boudh has registered only 59, the least number of HIV-affected persons in the State, followed by Deogarh (106), Subarnapur (123) and Kandhamal (170).

Significantly, the number of HIV-infected women has risen in the State. While the number was 1,539 till 2013, new patients numbering 210 were identified in 2014, 177 in 2015, 185 in 2016, 227 in 2017 while 94 HIV-infected women were identified until June 2018, the survey said.

However, the number of new HIV patients has declined, according to a source in the State Health Department. While 10,100 patients affected by AIDS were identified in 2007, the number dropped to 2,422 in 2017. Last year, 12 lakh persons had undergone HIV test, out of which 3,301

were provided treatment for HIV in the State, the official source said.

The number of casualty due to AIDS has also declined in the State. While 6,600 patients had died of HIV/AIDS in 2007, the number fell to 1,389 in 2017, the source added.