Government urged to identify remaining HIV cases in A.P. by December 1

There are around 16 lakh registered HIV cases in India, and given the population of the country, this number should be around 25 lakh, said Additional Secretary and Director General of National AIDS Control Organisation Rakesh Gupta, urging all the States to identify the remaining affected individuals.

Speaking at the ‘Mission AIDS Suraksha’ workshop in Vijayawada on Wednesday, Dr. Rakesh Gupta stressed that HIV patients should be identified through a three-tier strategy. The goal is to transform the country into ‘Suraksha India’ by controlling the spread of HIV, and this can be done when State governments and Union Territories collectively work towards identifying people living with HIV, he said.

The authorities should also ensure that patients take their medications regularly, as this would reduce the viral load in their bodies and bring relief to affected families and help reduce the spread of HIV, Dr. Rakesh Gupta said.

In Andhra Pradesh, estimates suggest that there should be 3,10,000 HIV cases, but there are currently 276,000 cases. It is important to identify the remaining cases immediately to provide medical care and check the spread, he said, giving the authorities a deadline of December 1, which is observed as World AIDS Day.”

Similar workshops have been organised in Assam and Karnataka, he added.

Meanwhile, State AIDS Control Society Project Director K. Neelakantha Reddy said 89% of estimated cases in the State have been identified and 86% of them are receiving treatment. He urged district officials to take action in line with the Central guidelines.

District Collectors, District Medical and Health Officers, Deputy Collectors, Joint Collectors, AIDS control officers, administrative officials and from 23 districts participated in the workshop.