The Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has refuted viral social media and media reports claiming that 7,000 students in Karnataka are HIV-positive and that the state government has made HIV testing compulsory in colleges, describing the claims as false and misleading. According to KSAPS, the department does not maintain HIV data based on categories such as students, housewives, or family members. As a result, it does not have statistics specifically identifying the number of students living with HIV.

The agency clarified that the widely circulated figure of 7,000 HIV-positive students is factually incorrect. KSAPS stated that since 2004 , it has recorded approximately 39,000 HIV-positive individuals in the 18–35-year age group cumulatively across Karnataka, underscoring that the viral claim misrepresented the available data. The agency also clarified that mandatory HIV…