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Extension of National AIDS & STD control Programme

Posted on March 24, 2022 by admin1  86

In News 

  • Recently, the Union Cabinet approved continuation of National AIDS and STD Control Programme, a Central sector scheme from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026 with an outlay of ?15,471.94 crore by approving phase-V of the programme. 

About 

  • The national AIDS response under India’s AIDS Control Programme (NACP) is globally considered to be an extremely successful programme. 
  • The annual new HIV infections in India have declined by 48% against the global average of 31% [the baseline year of 2010]. 
  • The annual AIDS–related deaths have declined by 82% against the global average of 42% (the baseline year of 2010). 
  • As a result, the HIV prevalence in India continues to be low with an adult HIV prevalence of 0.22%.

About National AIDS Control Programme (NACP)

  • The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), launched in 1992.
  • It is being implemented as a comprehensive programme for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India. 
  • Over time, the focus has shifted from raising awareness to behaviour change, from a national response to a more decentralised response and to increasing involvement of NGOs and networks of PLHIV.
    • It has been Revised, Revived and Revamped to focus on hard-to-reach and at-risk populations. 
  • The Phase-IV (Extension) of National AIDS and STD Control Programme concluded on March 31, 2021. 
  • Phase V
    • The NACP Phase-V will take the national AIDS and STD response till Financial Year 2025-26 towards the attainment of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 3.3 of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 through a comprehensive package of prevention, detection and treatment services.
    • The programme will offer free HIV prevention, detection and treatment services in facility and community settings to high-risk, vulnerable and other ‘at-risk’ populations and PLHIV without any stigma and discrimination promoting equity and inclusiveness. 

About Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) 

  • It is a chronic, potentially life-threatening health condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which damages the human immune system.
  • Transmission: 
    • Through direct contact with certain body fluids (blood, semen, rectal fluid, vaginal fluid or breast milk) from a person infected with HIV.
  • Symptoms:
    • Stage 1: Flu-like illness (Fever, chills, rashes, night sweats)
    • Stage 2: Clinical latency (No particular symptoms)
    • Stage 3: AIDS (Weakening of Immune System)
  • Prevention & Treatment: 
    • Prevention is better than cure, using protective techniques, non-contaminated needles & preventing mother to child transmission.
    • Effective antiretroviral treatment (ART) prevents HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. 
    • HIV is treated with antiretroviral therapy consisting of one or more medicines.
    • ART does not cure HIV but reduces its replication in the blood, thereby reducing the viral load to an undetectable level.
    • ART enables people living with HIV to lead healthy, productive lives. It also works as an effective prevention, reducing the risk of onward transmission by 96%.
    • ART should be taken every day throughout the person’s life. People can continue with safe and effective ART if they adhere to their treatment.
    •  In cases when ART becomes ineffective due to reasons such as lost contact with health care providers and drug stock outs, people will need to switch to other medicines to protect their health.
    • Someone who is on antiretroviral therapy and virally suppressed will not pass HIV to their sexual partners.
    • Condoms prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, and prophylaxis use antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV. 

Global Efforts 

  • UNAIDS:The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS  (UNAIDS) is an international organisation that is working towards stopping new HIV infections, ensuring that everyone living with HIV has access to HIV treatment, promoting human rights, and producing data for decision-making. 
    • The organization leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. 
  • WHO recommendations: 
    • WHO recommends that every person who may be at risk of HIV should access testing. 
    • People diagnosed with HIV should be offered and linked to antiretroviral treatment as soon as possible following diagnosis. If taken consistently, this treatment also prevents HIV transmission to others.
  • Stem Cell Transplant:
    • A U.S. patient with leukemia (blood cancer) has become the first woman and the third person to date to be cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus that causes AIDS.

Steps taken by Government of India

  • HIV/AIDS Act 2017:
    • The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017, came into force on September 10, 2018. 
    • It aims to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country and provides for penalties for discrimination against those affected by the virus.
    • It provides a legal and enabling framework to safeguard the human rights of infected and affected populations.
  • 95-95-95 Strategy:
    • The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS aims for HIV testing, treatment and viral suppression rates to be 95%–95%–95% by 2025.
      • Earlier, it was 90-90-90 Strategy. It calls for 90% of HIV-infected individuals to be diagnosed by 2020, 90% of whom will be on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and 90% of whom will achieve sustained virologic suppression by 2020.
  •  HIV Prevention Model:
    • India’s unique HIV prevention model is centred around the concept of ‘Social Contracting’ through which the ‘Targeted Interventions Program’ is implemented with support from civil society. The program is aimed at behaviour change, communication, outreach, service delivery, counselling & testing and ensuring linkages to HIV care.
  • Free Anti-Retro-Viral Treatment:
    • India is providing free anti-retro-viral treatment to close to 1.4 million people. Indian drugs are also reaching millions of People living with HIV in Africa. 
  • Viral Load Testing Facilities:
    • They  have been scaled up, and HIV counselling, testing and community-based screening for early diagnosis have been ramped up to achieve the target of Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV. 
  • Project Sunrise:
    • It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2016) to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states. 
  • Prevention from Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) programme.
  • Social Awareness through workshops.

Challenges

  • Removing Social Stigma, human rights violations, social exclusion
  • Inequalities that drive AIDS.
  • Shortage of medicines for HIV like lopinavir/ritonavir. 
  • Dearth of financial resources.

Way Ahead

  • India’s National Aids Control Organisation says that ART is freely available to all those who require it and there are deputed centres across the country where they can be availed from.
  • Action against inequalities to end AIDS by 2030, 
  • Centre and States coordination, 
  • Involvement of NGOs & enhance budget allocation.

Source:TH

 
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