AIDS Society of India Demands Inclusion of HIV Self-Testing in Government Policies
Friday, 18 October 2024, 15:06 IST
AIDS Society of India urges the government to adopt and implement policies and programs that include HIV self-testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis into its health policies and programs. It is estimated that one of five Indians living with HIV today does not know his or her status.
HIV care continuum When the World Health Organization recommended inclusion of HIV self-testing in the continuum of HIV care in 2019, it considered self-testing as a vital strategy towards filling in the gaps of HIV diagnosis, particularly among key populations.
A very critical importance would be for all those living with HIV (PLHIV) to know their status, said Dr. Ishwar Gilada, President Emeritus of ASI. According to him, it is critical information in terms of accessing comprehensive care services which would allow them to maintain a suppressed viral load and lead healthy lives so that they can contribute to the goal of wiping out AIDS from the world.
The National AIDS Control Organisation's latest 'Sankalak report 2023' indicates that 79% of PLHIV are aware of their status, and 86% of them are on antiretroviral therapy with 93% achieving viral suppression. This is just 63% of the total PLHIV population in India against the target of 86% by 2025.
Dr. Gilada also said that his country, India, has been crucial in reducing deaths from HIV globally since most of the patients infected with HIV, approximately 92% of them, take Indian origin antiretroviral drugs. According to him, some of the fruits of progress lately include remarkable success with bi-annual Lenacapavir injections that have been proven capable of preventing HIV infections among over 96% of target populations.
Despite these developments, PrEP has not yet been added to India's NACP. Despite a drop in the number of HIV infections due to mass distribution of ART through 750 government-operated ART centers, disturbing numbers of cases have been increasing since 2020 at younger ages.
The ASI also brought up serious concerns regarding the existing inequalities of HIV prevalence of different groups by pointing out the fact that the rates stand more than two times higher for migrants, truckers, inmates, female sex workers, and men who have sex with men, transgender people, drug users when considered against the general adult population.
HIV care continuum When the World Health Organization recommended inclusion of HIV self-testing in the continuum of HIV care in 2019, it considered self-testing as a vital strategy towards filling in the gaps of HIV diagnosis, particularly among key populations.
A very critical importance would be for all those living with HIV (PLHIV) to know their status, said Dr. Ishwar Gilada, President Emeritus of ASI. According to him, it is critical information in terms of accessing comprehensive care services which would allow them to maintain a suppressed viral load and lead healthy lives so that they can contribute to the goal of wiping out AIDS from the world.
The National AIDS Control Organisation's latest 'Sankalak report 2023' indicates that 79% of PLHIV are aware of their status, and 86% of them are on antiretroviral therapy with 93% achieving viral suppression. This is just 63% of the total PLHIV population in India against the target of 86% by 2025.
Dr. Gilada also said that his country, India, has been crucial in reducing deaths from HIV globally since most of the patients infected with HIV, approximately 92% of them, take Indian origin antiretroviral drugs. According to him, some of the fruits of progress lately include remarkable success with bi-annual Lenacapavir injections that have been proven capable of preventing HIV infections among over 96% of target populations.
Despite these developments, PrEP has not yet been added to India's NACP. Despite a drop in the number of HIV infections due to mass distribution of ART through 750 government-operated ART centers, disturbing numbers of cases have been increasing since 2020 at younger ages.
The ASI also brought up serious concerns regarding the existing inequalities of HIV prevalence of different groups by pointing out the fact that the rates stand more than two times higher for migrants, truckers, inmates, female sex workers, and men who have sex with men, transgender people, drug users when considered against the general adult population.
