NEW DELHI , India ( CNN ) -- Expanded testing across India in the past three years shows a 2,000 percent jump in the number of HIV cases among children , the country 's health minister announced Wednesday . An HIV-positive Indian child at a government treatment center . More than 14,000 children get free care . In November 2006 , health authorities counted 2,253 children in India with HIV , the virus that causes AIDS , Ghulam Nabi Azad told parliament . The number went up to a `` cumulative total '' of 52,973 in May this year , he said . The huge increase in the number of confirmed cases may be due to the expanded testing for the virus . India , home to more than a billion people , currently has 217 facilities for HIV/AIDS treatment and 5,155 counseling and testing centers . The minister insisted that overall , HIV prevalence had decreased in India from 0.45 percent in 2002 to 0.34 percent in 2007 . At present , 758,698 HIV-positive patients are being treated under the country 's AIDS control program , Azad said . More than 232,908 AIDS patients , including 14,474 children , are receiving free treatment at the designated facilities , he added . Authorities say mother-to-child transmission is a major source of infection among children . Last year , 19,986 pregnant women among more than 4 million tested were found to be HIV-positive , said Azad . Of them , 10,179 received treatment to prevent transmission to their babies .
Expanded testing across India shows 2,000 percent jump in child HIV cases . Increase in confirmed cases may be due to the expanded testing . Number up from 2,253 in 2006 to 52,973 , according to statistics .