Aids Control in India
Background:
- According to the government’s most recent HIV estimates report (2019), India is expected to have about 23.49 lakh persons living with HIV/AIDS in 2019. According to estimates, the number of new HIV infections per year decreased by 37% between 2010 and 2019 in the country as a whole.
- By achieving the 90-90-90 targets—where 90% of people with HIV are aware of their status, 90% of those who are aware of their HIV positivity are receiving treatment, and 90% of those receiving treatment have suppressed viral loads—UNAIDS aims to ensure that 30 million people have access to treatment.
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), carried out by NACO, serves as the nodal programme for AIDS prevention, treatment, and raising awareness. India is dedicated to attaining UNAIDS’ 90-90-90 goals.
- Additionally, India recently announced that it will offer free secondary care to any patients who needed it.
- Large regional disparities persist even when only a 0.27% national prevalence is stated.
AIDS situation in India:
- Through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), a part of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, directs India’s HIV/AIDS control programme.
- The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the nation has been considerably reduced thanks in large part to NACO, and quicker than the global average.
- Estimated new infections have decreased by more than 80% since the epidemic’s peak in 1995.
- Since 2005, when it peaked, estimated AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 71%.
- According to the UNAIDS 2018 report, the average global drop from peak in both new infections and AIDS-related fatalities was 47% and 51%, respectively.
- Since its founding in 1996, UNAIDS has been guiding and motivating leadership, creativity, and collaboration on a global, regional, national, and local level to put an end to HIV. The company’s main office is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Governmental Programs:
- The National AIDS Control Program (NACP), which was started by the Indian government in 1986 following the discovery of the country’s first case, is now the Department of AIDS within the Ministry
- of Health and Family Welfare.
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare created the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) as a division in 1992. Through 35 Prevention and Control Societies, it oversees the HIV/AIDS control programmes in India. In India, NACO is the central agency for the development of legislation and the execution of programmes aimed at combating HIV/AIDS.
- At the municipal, state, and federal levels, there are a large number of Non-Governmental and Community Based Organizations (NGOs & CBOs) working on HIV/AIDS issues in India.
- Several UN partners and bilateral funders provide India with technical help and financial support.
India’s Participation in the Global AIDS Response:
- Every year, there are 2 million new cases of AIDS, and approximately 66% of people worldwide who are currently on antiretroviral therapy take medications made in India.
- The market for ART is currently valued at.48 billion globally, and by 2025, it is anticipated to grow to.83 billion.
- As a result, Indian pharmaceutical companies are crucial in the global fight against AIDS thanks to their capacity to provide high-quality, inexpensive medicines.
About the Antiretroviral Therapy:
- Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) is the only treatment available for those with HIV-AIDS because neither a vaccine nor a cure are in the works.
- HIV is a retrovirus kind of virus, and antiretroviral therapy is the name of the medicine regimen used to treat it (ART).
- The World Health Organization states that standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) uses a combination of at least three antiretroviral medications to suppress the HIV virus and halt the spread of the illness.
- Use of a powerful ART regimen, especially in the early stages of the disease, has significantly reduced the rates of death and suffering.
How to move ahead:
- Plans at the regional and state levels must be created to stop the spread of new illnesses.
- ASHA employees need to get specialised training, and new policies for AIDS-infected kids must be linked with the Anganwadi infrastructure of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
- Law enforcement must be compassionate toward drug users, and the police must work closely with the medical community to prevent drug addicts from using needles improperly.
- Sex workers are unable to access health counsellors, medical clinics, etc. because of the stigma they endure. To address this, a thorough policy is required.
- Phase IV of the National Aids Control Program (NACP) seeks to offer all HIV/AIDS patients full care, support, and treatment in addition to a 50% reduction in new infections.
- The 2016 Political Declaration on Ending AIDS puts the world on a fast track to eradicate the disease by 2030. India must ensure that its goals are met by an ongoing, laser-focused campaign carried out with increased vigour.
