Indore:

Deaths from AIDS in the country came down by 79 per cent while HIV infections fell by 44 per cent in 2023 when compared to 2010, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said on Sunday.

Speaking at a function on the occasion of World AIDS Day, Mr Nadda said the 44 per cent decrease in new HIV cases in India since 2010 was higher than the global reduction rate of 39 per cent.

The country is committed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating AIDS by 2030, he said and cited the ongoing Phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme.

Mr Nadda said the renewed IDS response measures of ‘test and treat’ and universal viral load testing will be endorsed and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act 2017 will be implemented in toto.

The Union minister underlined the sustained efforts by NACO and State AIDS Control Societies and said India has worked out a formula of “95-95-95” in view of the target of eliminating AIDS by 2030.

“Ninety-five percent of the patients in the country should know that they are infected with HIV, 95 percent of the patients should get treatment and the “viral load” of 95 percent of the patients should be lessened by antiretroviral therapy medicines,” he explained.

At present, 81 per cent of patients know they are infected with HIV, 88 per cent patients are being given treatment and the viral load of 97 per cent patients has reduced, the Union minister informed.

“There has been 44 per cent reduction in new AIDS infections in the country, while AIDS-related deaths have reduced by 79 per cent in 2023 when compared to 2010,” he said.

Mr Nadda said the current prevalence of AIDS is 0.70 percent globally, whereas in India it was 0.20 percent, adding that after a long battle against AIDS, a strong medical system has been developed in the country to fight off this disease.

The Union Health Minister said the Centre is providing AIDS medicines to patients free of cost and also giving medicine to people instantly after they test positive for HIV.

Indian pharmaceutical companies were shipping the cheapest and most effective AIDS medicines to Africa, South Africa and Latin America, Mr Nadda pointed out.

“Youth should take precautions while getting tattooed. Today we are getting to know that people are suffering from AIDS after getting tattoos. I want to make youth aware of this danger,” he said.

The Union minister also urged people to set aside taboos associated with the disease and adopt a sensitive attitude towards those infected.

It should be ensured that there is no discrimination against HIV infected people in employment and other areas, Mr Nadda asserted.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was also present at the function.

Mr Yadav said MP aims to achieve the target of eradicating AIDS as a public health threat by 2028, two years ahead of the 2030 SDG goal.

Emphasizing that the government is working on the principle of ‘live and let live’, Mr Yadav said Madhya Pradesh is leading the way in Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana Yojana as well as in health indicators like IMR and delivery of health services to remote areas etc. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The number of new HIV infections and deaths has fallen across the world, marking significant progress in the fight against the disease. But HIV is far from being stamped out, health experts warn ahead of World AIDS Day on Sunday.

Uneven progress

During the 2010s, the number of HIV infections across the world declined by a fifth, according to a major study published in The Lancet HIV journal on Tuesday.

Deaths related to HIV, which are generally caused by other diseases during the late stages of AIDS, fell by about 40 percent to below a million a year, the study said.

The decline was mainly driven by improving rates in sub-Saharan Africa, which is by far the hardest-hit region in the global epidemic.

However, infections did not go down everywhere. Other regions, such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East, saw HIV numbers increase.

And the world remains far from the United Nations target of virtually eradicating AIDS-related deaths by 2030, the researchers said.

“The world has made remarkable global progress to significantly reduce the number of new HIV infections,” said lead study author Hmwe Kyu of the US-based Institute For Health Metrics and Evaluation.

“More than a million people acquire a new HIV infection each year and, of the 40 million people living with HIV, a quarter are not receiving treatment,” she said in a statement. 

– Effective tools – 
Preventative treatments called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) have proven to be a powerful tool in the fight against HIV.

These daily pills reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by around 99 percent. 

They have helped drive down HIV rates in many countries. In some, such as France, health authorities are urging PrEP to be made more available to more people, rather than just men who have sex with men.

“It is something that can be used by anyone who needs it at some point in their sexual life,” French infectious disease specialist Pierre Delobel told a press conference.

For people who have been infected with HIV, antiretroviral therapy can reduce the amount of the virus in their blood to undetectable levels.

An undetectable viral load means that there is less than a one percent chance that breastfeeding mothers pass HIV onto their babies, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New drug raises hopes

These tools have worked well in wealthier countries but the high costs have meant that poorer countries — such as in Africa — have often been left behind.

There are fears that this history could repeat for a new drug that has been hailed as a potential game-changer in the battle against HIV.

Early trials have found that the antiretroviral treatment lenacapavir is 100 percent effective in preventing HIV infection. And it only needs to be injected twice a year, making the drug far easier to administer than current regimens requiring daily pills.

US pharmaceutical giant Gilead has been charging around $40,000 per person per a year for the treatment in several countries.

But researchers have estimated the drug could be made for as little as $40, calling on Gilead to allow for cheaper access in hard-hit nations.

Last month, Gilead announced it had signed licensing deals with six generic drugmakers to produce and sell lenacapavir in lower-income countries.

While experts largely welcomed the move, some noted that millions of people with HIV live in countries not included in the deal.

The twice-yearly injection is also hoped to help get around another problem for administering HIV drugs — the stigma that comes along with having the disease.

What about a vaccine?

Despite decades of effort, a vaccine for HIV remains elusive.

But the lenacapavir shot is “like having a vaccine basically”, Andrew Hill, a researcher at the UK’s Liverpool University, told AFP earlier this year.

A handful of patients have also been effectively cured of HIV.

But these cures happen only after a patient endures a brutal stem cell transplant for their leukaemia, so is not an option for almost all people living with HIV.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)