Mumbai: Sameer C (not his real name) discovered his HIV-positive status almost 30 years ago, a time when the virus was largely seen as a death sentence. His then 19-year-old pregnant wife, Chanda, developed a viral infection called shingles, prompting doctors to test her for the then relatively new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).The HIV-positive diagnosis was a shock and a mystery because both claimed they did not indulge in any high-risk behaviour linked to the virus. What sets Sameer and Chanda apart among the 62,571 people living with HIV in Mumbai is their unique family history: the virus has shaped the lives of three generations of the family.Since their diagnosis in 1996, Sameer’s parents and son were also found to be HIV-positive. Sameer took his parents to infectious diseases specialist Dr I Gilada when he found both had poor immunity levels and often fell ill.While the first HIV cases were detected in the United States in 1981, a study carried out on old samples found HIV-1 in a 1959 sample of a man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “HIV has been in circulation for decades, so it’s possible that Sameer got HIV from his parents and could be the oldest living case of mother-to-child transmission,” said Dr Gilada.He said there has been a dramatic shift in the HIV landscape. “In four decades, I have witnessed the worst-ever to best-ever scenarios,” said Dr Gilada. “In Sameer’s case, we lost the first couple (his parents) to HIV and related illnesses. The second generation, that is Sameer and Chanda, are doing well on ART, and the third-generation couple is discordant, awaiting the arrival of the fourth generation who will be HIV-negative (because of better programmes and medications).“Although medicines have transformed HIV from a fatal disease to a manageable condition, the stigma remains so high that Sameer and Chanda have kept their status a secret, even from their son. Their son, now 29, was found to be HIV-positive when he was diagnosed with drug-resistant TB last year. “No one in our extended family knows our status. We eat nutritious food and stay healthy,” said Sameer, who lives and works in the western suburbs.In Mumbai, HIV/AIDS deaths have decreased by 20% in the last four years, and the incidence of HIV among pregnant women has dropped by 56% in three years. Data released by the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society ahead of World AIDS Day on December 1 showed that HIV/AIDS deaths decreased from 1,210 in 2021-22 to 974 in 2024-25. In 2025-26 so far, the data reveals 491 deaths.
