Vizag district registers 30,000 HIV positive cases

Vizag district registers 30,000 HIV positive cases
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Highlights

The district administration is taking measures to tackle HIV positive cases by launching massive awareness programmes. The Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), which was confined to CD4 patients, now has been extended to all the positive patients from July 1.

Visakhapatnam: The district administration is taking measures to tackle HIV positive cases by launching massive awareness programmes. The Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), which was confined to CD4 patients, now has been extended to all the positive patients from July 1.

Highlights:

  • The district unit of National Aids Control Society decided to conduct more awareness programmes on AIDS
  • Red Ribbon Clubs will be launched in every college, posters will be pasted at bus stops, private and government offices
  • “We are distributing around 1.5 lakh condoms free in the district through AIDS Control facilitators and NGOs,’’said a senior representative of NACO

The district so far registered 30,358 HIV positive cases, according to sources in Aids Control Society. From April 2016 to March 2017, 91,236 persons were tested and of them 1,999 were found to be HIV positive. In all, 66, 604 antenatal (pregnant women) were tested and of them 77 were found to be HIV positive.

In the first quarter of this year from April to June, 22,022 patients were tested and of them 485 were found to be positive. Among the antenatal women, 17,749 were tested and of them 23 were found to be positive.

The district unit of National Aids Control Society held a review meeting here on Monday in which it was decided to conduct more awareness programmes on AIDS.

It was decided to start Red Ribbon Clubs ,( a programme supported by UNICEF, aims to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, spread knowledge of preventive measures and reduce stigma and overcome discrimination of people living with AIDS) in every college, paste posters at bus stops, private and government offices.

“We are distributing around 1.5 lakh condoms free in the district through AIDS Control facilitators and NGOs,’’ said a senior representative of NACO.

It was also suggested at the meeting that direct treatment should be started to HIV positives, which was earlier confined to CD4 patients, said additional district medical and health officer R Ramesh.

Regular counselling assistance would be given to the positive patients, immediate treatment to positive patients when they were confirmed positive. Special care would be taken to highly risk groups to increase their life span.

He suggested to conduct HIV tests on pregnant women and create awareness on sexual transmitted diseases.Regional Training Centre principal Dr Bharathi Reddy, district programme manager Dr Sailaja , programme officer Kiran, supervisor Badri and WHO consultant Sukumar attended.

By Jatlee Dontala

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