Source: healthissuesindia.com<\/p>\n
Sunday marked World AIDS Day and Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan utilised the occasion to speak out against discrimination against those affected by HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us shun any kind of discrimination in our thoughts, actions and behaviour in our interaction with those who have HIV and AIDS,\u201d the Minister said. \u201cLet us do away with nomenclatures such as \u201cAIDS\/HIV communities. Let us not bracket people who suffer from and have survived various diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vardhan emphasised the importance of \u201cthe basic target\u2026of \u2018Three Zeros\u2019 \u2013 i.e. zero new infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero discrimination.\u201d The Government has affirmed its commitment to ending discrimination in the past, most notably through passage of the \u201chistoric\u201d HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill which \u201c[attaches] legal accountability to those seen to be discriminating against them [those living with HIV\/AIDS].\u201d<\/p>\n
The prevalence of HIV\/AIDS in India is relatively low, with AVERT noting that \u201cHIV prevalence among adults (aged 15-49) was an estimated 0.2 percent. This figure,\u201d it says, \u201cis small compared to most other middle-income countries.\u201d However, taking into account the sheer size of India\u2019s population, this prevalence equates to a HIV\/AIDS burden which is the third largest in the world.<\/p>\n
This is not to say that fewer Indians are living with HIV\/AIDS compared to the beginning of the decade. The overall number of people living with HIV\/AIDS in 2017 was 2.1 million, compared to 2.3 million in 2010. Within the same timeframe, new HIV infections fell from 120,000 to 88,000. AIDS-related deaths were reduced from 160,000 to 90,000. Nonetheless, the scope of India\u2019s HIV\/AIDS burden is substantial \u2013 and requires a multi-faceted approach to ensure access to treatment, reduce transmission, and eradicate the stigma which prevents many Indians living with HIV\/AIDS from seeking out treatment. Tackling the broader issues plaguing India\u2019s healthcare infrastructure such as shortfalls is also required to guarantee access to treatment.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Union Health Ministry announced its intention to reduce HIV\/AIDS cases by 20,000 between 2019 and 2020. As previously reported by Health Issues India, \u201cthe Ministry will be conducting outreach to populations with a higher-than-average prevalence of the condition \u2013 including marginalised and often ignored persons such as those in prisons and women\u2019s remand homes\u201d and expanding access to antiretroviral treatment (ART).<\/p>\n
Treatment of HIV\/AIDS is guaranteed by law. The HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill came into force last year \u2013 affirming that \u201cevery person in the care and custody of the state shall have right to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and counselling services\u201d (the previous wording of the Bill said treatment would be provided \u201cas far as possible,\u201d a point of contention and concern among patient advocacy and legal groups).<\/p>\n
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV\/AIDS seeks to end the HIV\/AIDS epidemic at the global level by 2030. Vardhan affirmed the Government\u2019s commitment to doing so earlier this year, stating \u201cthe Government is fully committed to meeting all the set goals to eliminate HIV\/AIDS by 2030.\u201d Indeed, India has made progress. Sustaining momentum \u2013 and addressing all factors which could impede progress, including discrimination \u2013 is vital in realising the 2030 target.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[62,2504,52,2337],"class_list":["post-3203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aids-hiv","tag-aids","tag-harsh-vardhan","tag-hiv","tag-hiv-aids-3"],"yoast_head":"\n