Overview
- Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society has asked Visvesvaraya Technological University and the state Collegiate Education Department to run Integrated Health Camps offering HIV testing and counselling in engineering and degree colleges across the state.
- Official data show about 2.6 lakh people living with HIV in Karnataka, roughly 2.05 lakh are on antiretroviral therapy and an estimated 54,000 remain undiagnosed, while infections in the 18–35 age group rose from 44,500 to 66,600 in recent KSAPS reports.
- KSAPS is linking the campus drive to its Mobilisation for AIDS Suraksha targets and has rolled out a QR code 'Know Your HIV Status' self-risk assessment to prompt voluntary testing and speed referral to ART services.
- Some media reports described the college camps as mandatory, but available official excerpts and KSAPS communications show a request to colleges and public messaging about voluntary screening rather than a formal statutory order forcing tests.
- Health officials say campus screening could raise early diagnosis and reduce transmission if tests and counselling are kept confidential and paired with clear consent procedures and systems to link people promptly to treatment, but implementation will require coordination across government, aided and private colleges.