Urgent and accelerated HIV service delivery with equity and rights is critical to end AIDS
BOBBY RAMAKANT - CNS
No one needs to get newly infected with HIV or die of AIDS-related illnesses because we have scientific evidence-based tools and proven approaches to prevent any further spread of infection or avert any untimely death due to AIDS. But despite this, over 1.3 million new people were diagnosed with HIV and 630,000 died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2023 globally.
"Despite commendable progress in India's AIDS response, almost 200 new people got diagnosed with HIV every day and almost 100 died of AIDS-related illnesses every day in 2023. If HIV is a chronic manageable disease, then why 169,000 people living with HIV were lost to follow up by March 2024 (as per government's latest 6th Sankalak Report)," said Dr Dilip Mathai, President of AIDS Society of India (ASI), a pan India network of HIV medical experts and researchers. Dr Mathai is a distinguished medical expert and researcher, former Professor and Head of Medicine Department, CMC Vellore, and former Dean of Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research.
"HIV is now becoming a concern for primary healthcare workers, which implies that we have to ensure that the people who get educated and trained to serve at the primary healthcare level, must get adequately trained to help provide HIV care services. People who train them also need to be optimally trained on HIV care. If we do not address these issues, we will not be able to end AIDS," said Dr Mathai in lead up to largest conference of HIV medical experts that would be held later this week in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state of India (16th National Conference of AIDS Society of India or ASICON 2025). Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel would inaugurate the scientific meet which will be held in Gujarat for the first time.
Only 70 months left to keep the promise of #endAIDS by 2030
"All governments have promised to end AIDS by 2030. But we have the evidence-based tools to do so now! We can prevent all transmission of HIV, diagnose all those with HIV, provide lifesaving antiretroviral therapy and keep them virally suppressed - so that all those with HIV can lead healthy and fulfilling lives and no one gets newly infected with HIV. The World Health Organization (WHO) evidence strongly shows that if people living with HIV are virally suppressed then there is zero risk of any further HIV transmission from them. We need to do better to prevent HIV as well as care for those living with HIV," said Dr Ishwar Gilada, President Emeritus of AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Governing Council member of International AIDS Society (IAS) and its regional Chair for Asia and the Pacific. He is the first medical doctor to begin HIV care in India when first case was diagnosed in 1986 and credited to establish country's first HIV clinic in government's JJ Hospital, Mumbai.
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