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HIV infections reduce in India, increase in Pakistan: UN Report
- IndiaToday.in
- New Delhi
- July 20, 2018
- UPDATED: July 20, 2018 16:36 IST
- 10 important facts you must know about HIV/AIDS
The scars of HIV infections are fading away from the Indian soil. According to a recent UN report, India saw a major reduction in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.
In fact, people who had HIV from 2010 to 2017 have sustained due to concerted efforts by a number of entities.
COUNTRIES IN ASIA WHERE HIV RELATED CASES HAVE REDUCED:- Cambodia
- India
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Vietnam
COUNTRIES IN ASIA WHERE HIV-RELATED CASES ARE GROWING:- Pakistan
- The Philippines
In India, new HIV infections dropped from 120,000 in 2010 to 88,000 in 2017, AIDS-related deaths from 160,000 to 69,000 and people living with HIV (PLHIV) from 2,300,000 to 2,100,000 in the same time period -- the report said.
INITIATIVES THAT WERE TAKEN IN INDIA AGAINST HIV/AIDS:
Indian authorities have implemented an approved social protection strategy, policy, or framework.
1. National AIDS Control Programme IV
The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), launched in 1992, is being implemented as a comprehensive programme for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India.
How does NACP function?
NACP has been busy in raising awareness about behaviour change and increasing involvement of NGOs and networks of PLHIV.
2. Avahan- This initiative was started by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2003 in order to work towards reducing HIV/AIDS cases in India
- The main objective of Avahan is to fill the void between existing initiatives and people who are suffering from this fatal disease
Read: Star-shaped capsule can simplify the treatment for HIV: All you need to know about it
Their main target is high-risk populations -- including female sex workers, their clients, same-sex relations between men, transgenders (known as hijras) and drug-injecting users.
Representational image
This programme in Karnataka and other states remained a "sterling example" of the impact of combining condom-programming with community empowerment and structural improvements that tackle stigma, violence and unsafe working environments.
3. NACO
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) was set up by the government of India to introduce comprehensive strategies, and to realise the goal of HIV prevention and control among the high-risk populations.
Read: Parliament passes the HIV/AIDS Bill: All you need to know
IMPROVED CONDITION OF PEOPLE WHO WERE SUFFERING FROM HIV:
Successive surveys in Cambodia, India, Thailand, and Vietnam also indicate that attitudes towards people living with HIV have improved, creating safer working conditions for sex workers, and engaging them closely in the design and implementation of programmes -- as per the UN report.
De-criminalise sex work, says report
The report underscored the public health benefits of de-criminalising sex work, too.
It found that countries that had de-criminalised at least some aspects of sex work have fewer sex workers living with HIV as compared to other countries that criminalise all aspects of sex work.
Modelling based on data from Canada, India, and Kenya indicates that the decriminalisation of sex work could avert 3346 per cent of HIV infections over the course of a decade.
The report cited the example of Karnataka, where advocacy work with senior police officials, sensitisation workshops and the inclusion of HIV and human rights topics in pre-service curricula led to significant decreases in the arrest of female sex workers, especially during police raids.
Before the interventions, half (50 per cent) of the 4,110 surveyed female sex workers said they had been arrested or detained at some point during police raids -- that proportion shrank to 20 per cent after the interventions, the report said.
Read: World AIDS Day: 13 facts on the condition leading to immunodeficiency
GLOBAL NEW HIV INFECTIONS
Global new HIV infections have declined by just 18 per cent in the past seven years -- from 2.2 million in 2010 to 1.8 million in 2017, the report noted.
Although this is nearly half the number of new infections compared to the peak in 1996 (3.4 million), the decline is not quick enough to reach the target of fewer than 500,000 by 2020.
In 2017, an estimated 36.9 million people globally were living with HIV and 21.7 million people were accessing treatment, it said.
The report also shows that key populations are not being considered enough in HIV programming.
Key populations and their sexual partners account for 47 per cent of the new HIV infections worldwide and 97 per cent of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia -- where one-third of new HIV infections are among people who inject drugs.
"The right to health for all is non-negotiable," said Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
Sidibe added that sex workers, gay men and other men who have sex with men, prisoners, migrants, refugees and transgender people are more affected by HIV but are still being left out from HIV programmes.
"More investments are needed in reaching these key populations," added Michel.
Read: World AIDS Day 2017: New infection cases in India almost halved over the past decade, still a long road to go
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Pakistan is among the 25 large economies in 25th spot.
