ASI calls for coordinated and integrated health responses to end AIDS by 2030

Mumbai, April 12, 2022:

AIDS Society of India (ASI) has called for coordinated and integrated health responses to accelerate progress to end AIDS in the country by 2030.

Governments of over 190 nations, including India, have pledged to end AIDS by 2030 by adopting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“Stamping out HIV-related stigma and discrimination is an essential cog-in-the-wheel to speed progress towards end AIDS goals and targets. Social and financial protection, such as insurance, is important. Every person living with HIV must be aware of his/her status, receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy, and remain virally suppressed. Failing on these essential targets will also fail us in ending AIDS. We can end AIDS now as we have the science-backed tools and approaches to accelerate progress on these goals. We also need to fully fund HIV science,” said Dr Ishwar Gilada, president of ASI while speaking at the 13th national conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON) in Hyderabad. The conference was held from April 3-5, 2022.

People living with HIV should be regularly screened for TB (most common opportunistic infection and major cause of death) and provided with TB preventive therapy (if they have latent TB) or effective anti-TB treatment (if they have active TB disease). Science-based medical management of all HIV associated co-morbidities and co-infections, and other conditions (such as non-communicable diseases, mental health issues, disabilities) are vital, said Dr Gilada.

Strong scientific evidence from studies such as HPTN052, Partners, among others has demonstrated that those people living with HIV who receive antiretroviral therapy and remain virally suppressed, will not only lead normal healthy lives but also risk of HIV transmission from them will be negligible. That is why experts say that HIV treatment works as prevention too, and “treatment as prevention” is an important part of combination prevention approaches to break the chain of HIV transmission. Ensuring HIV combination prevention becomes centre-stage again in India’s response so that the number of new HIV infections decline towards zero, is a compelling priority, said globally acclaimed HIV expert.

After years of advocacy by ASI and partners, the Indian government passed the milestone law, HIV/AIDS Act 2017. Five years have passed since then, but optimal implementation is yet to begin, he opined.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has widened inequalities, claimed lives, and disrupted HIV, TB, and other health services around the world. It has affected the most vulnerable, including people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV. ASI had worked with the Indian government when lockdown got clamped in March 2020 to ensure uninterrupted supply of lifesaving antiretroviral therapy in public and private healthcare sectors. Government’s efforts to reduce inequalities and provide social protection has and will further facilitate the uptake of HIV, TB, and other essential health services. It improves adherence to HIV and TB treatment, reduces HIV risk and mitigates the social and economic impacts of HIV and Covid-19,” added ASI president.
 
“13th ASICON continues to be an important platform for continuing medical education on HIV science for public and private medical experts and scientists. With ASICON going virtual, we had a wider reach and engagement, as well as an online archive of medical and scientific presentations for reference by member-experts,” he said.
 
International faculty from US, UK, South Africa, Italy, Switzerland, Malaysia, and other countries presented the latest HIV science updates at 13th ASICON. Over 1350 medical experts of different specialities, scientists, among others attended the congress. CAPRISA-South Africa; Central TB Division (CTD) and National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) of Government of India; International AIDS Society (IAS); Omnicuris; Share India, UNAIDS; The Union and the WHO were academic partners of ASICON. Theme of 13th ASICON was “Confronting pandemics with proficiency, precision and persistence.” Pharmabiz