‘J&KACS provides comprehensive package of care, support, treatment to patients, 7.50 lakh tests done this year so far against 6 lakh last year’
Jehangeer Ganai
Srinagar, Nov 04 : Jammu and Kashmir government Monday said that the prevalence of AIDS in the UT is lowest in the country at 0.06 per cent while 7.50 lakh tests were done in the ensuing year so far.
An official told news agency—Kashmir news Observer (KNO), the prevalence of HIV in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is lowest in the country with the prevalence of 0.06% as per India HIV Estimates 2021 which is very much below the National prevalence of 0.21% and this is due to the efforts being put in by J&K AIDS Control Society.
“JKACS provides a comprehensive package of Care, support and treatment to patients. 6305 HIV positive cases are since the inception of JKACS, i.e. year 1998. Till date 1,452 HIV-positive patients have died, while 3583patients are alive on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). 521patients have left follow-up,” the official said.
He said that no doubt J&K is a tourist destination and there is a huge influx of different categories of people like long distance truck drivers, migrant labourers and high concentration of forces, which may be few of the contributing factors for risk of HIV transmission, but not the only reason – there are many other reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS.
“HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and there are only four modes of transmission of HIV infection. It can also be spread by contact with infected blood/blood products or from infected mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breast-feeding and usage of infected needles/medical equipment,” the official said.
Without medication, it may take years before HIV weakens your immune system to the point that you have AIDS.
“A person suffering from AIDS is unfortunately often regarded as a stigma in society and such people become victims of ostracism, rejection and discrimination. In most of the cases there is late detection/reporting of HIV cases and that too in very severe conditions.
“Drug addicts are at a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS due to sharing of infected needle/syringes and if they are sexually active, they can also transmit this to their partners as well.
The increase in the number of HIV cases which is being projected by some unverified news items as rising trend is in-fact due to the greater coverage, testing, counselling and reduction in the stigma and discrimination due to the dedicated efforts and awareness by J&K AIDS Control Society. “These cases are actually the detection of the hidden “At-risk populations” in different areas of J&K,” he said.
The official said that due to strenuous effects towards case detection the testing capacities in the entire UT of J&K have been increased manifold as a result of which the number of tests conducted amongst the general population has increased three times between the financial year 2020-21 to the financial year 2022-23. “During the current financial year, more than seven lakh fifty thousand tests are expected to be conducted for HIV screening against six lakh tests conducted last year,” the official revealed.
He said that similarly every effort is being made that expecting mothers undergo the compulsory HIV screening during their ANC (anti-natal checkup) in the first trimester. “Furthermore High Risk Groups (HRGs) like Female Sex Workers (FSWs), Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), Truckers, Migrant Labourers (MLs) are also being screened for HIV through increased community outreach,” the official said—(KNO)
