World AIDS Day 2020

Dr. Montu Deka

(The writer is a consultant dermatologist. He can be reached at drmontudeka13@gmail.com)

We celebrate the World AIDS Day on December 1 to show solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV worldwide. On this day, we wear RED RIBBON to spread HIV awareness among the general public. The world has made significant progress since late 1990s and the movement to combat the AIDS epidemic has set an extraordinary example among the public health programme.

The theme for the World AIDS Day 2020 is "Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility".

In October 2014, UNAIDS sets an ambitious goal of 90-90-90 to help in ending the epidemic by year 2030. This means 90% of all people living with HIV have to know their status, 90% of all the diagnosed HIV-infected individuals to receive the ANTI RETROVIRAL THERAPY and among those individuals receiving ART 90% to remain virally suppressed. To achieve this NACO-adopted test and treat policy for all PLHIV in country and they are monitored routinely by performing viral load test once in a year. The focus on the vulnerable groups, especially children, pregnant ladies and high-risk groups have been increased to many folds. The HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services are all being provided to PLHIV in all ART Centers as well as non-governmental organizations across the country.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or commonly known as AIDS is caused by HIV or HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS. It attacks our body by jeopardizing our immune system and makes it vulnerable to other life-threatening infectious diseases, cancers and degenerative diseases which make it a most dreaded disease of present time. The virus incorporates its genetic material into human host cells mostly the CD4+T – cells of our immune system and thereby replicates inside it and make new virions after destroying the human host cell. The virions liberated attack newer cells and go on replicating and destroying more and more CD4+T cells. Slowly this weakens our ability to fight against the diseases. Due to its long incubation period people might stay asymptomatic until the disease spreads to a large extent. A few of the common symptoms and diseases include loss of weight and frequent fever not responding to traditional treatments, mostly because of tuberculosis, dysentery, oral ulcers due to candidiasis, viral infections like herpes and associated genital lesions due to various sexually transmitted diseases.

HIV majorly transmits by sexual transmission, mother to child, blood and its products.

Stringent measures for safe blood transfusions have been undertaken by allowing blood banks to operate only after obtaining proper license under SBTC, NACO. Mother-to-child transmission is curtailed by screening and treating every pregnant woman for HIV and STD. Early infant diagnosis also helps to identify and treats the infected child at an early stage of disease.

Safe sexual practices like condom usage, non-sharing of needles, good hygiene, early treatment of STDs, behavioural therapy, counseling services in adolescent clinics, ICTCs and most importantly empathy and zero discrimination towards PLHIVs will go a long way to help us to contain the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.