World AIDS Day: Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day on December 1 every year reminds people and governments that HIV is still prevalent in the world. AIDS has affected millions of families, specifically children and youth, across the world. It’s estimated that nearly 40 million people have died from AIDS in the past four decades.
HIV treatment has undoubtedly saved millions. But AIDS still takes its toll. Nearly 700,000 people died last year, and millions still don’t get access to lifesaving treatment they need.
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2022 Theme
In 2022, UNAIDS focuses on “Equalize,” to address inequalities. It calls for action to raise the availability, quality, and suitability of services for HIV treatment, its testing, and prevention. The theme also highlights the importance of reforming laws, policies, and practises to tackle the stigma and exclusion faced by people living with HIV and equalise access to essential HIV services, particularly for children and key populations and their partners.
HIV is different from AIDS
It is necessary to understand the difference between HIV and AIDS.
A person infected with HIV has a weak immune system while the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the result of HIV infection at a later stage. AIDS reflects a group of symptoms as the immune system becomes very weak. A person can be HIV positive and lead a seemingly normal life while it can take around 8–10 years from HIV infection to develop into AIDS.
Do all HIV positive people have AIDS?
An HIV positive is not always diagnosed with AIDS. According to NACO, AIDS is diagnosed when people with HIV infection begin to get severe opportunistic infections (OIs), or their CD4 cell count falls below a certain level. Immune function is measured by CD4 cell count, and the CD4 cells, or white blood cells, fight infection.
According to NACO, the infection affects 0.21 percent of the total population in India. Mizoram has the highest number of adult HIV prevalence and People Living with HIV (PLHIV). Nearly 2.7 per cent people in the age group 15-49 years are HIV affected. Second comes Nagaland, with nearly 1.4 per cent of the total population, followed by Manipur (1.05 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (0.67 per cent), Telangana (0.47 per cent), among others.
HIV/AIDS facts
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) –
-So far, nearly 40.1 million people have lost their lives to HIV.
-Around 650, 000 people died from HIV-related causes in 2021, and 1.5 million became infected.
-At the end of 2021, there were an estimated 38.4 million people living with HIV, of whom two-thirds (25.6 million) were in the WHO African Region.
UNAIDS has proposed a global 95/95/95 target. Countries must redouble their efforts to avoid 7.7 million HIV-related deaths over the next ten years. The target means 95 per cent of all people living with HIV must know their HIV status, 95 per cent of all people with a diagnosed HIV infection must receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy must have viral suppression by 2025.
What causes HIV infection?
According to NACO, HIV can be transmitted through unprotected sex with an HIV infected person, transfusion of HIV infected blood or blood products, or sharing of needles contaminated with HIV infected blood. Besides, HIV-infected mothers can transmit it to her baby during pregnancy, during birth, or after delivery. It is to be noted that HIV does not transmit through social contacts such as shaking hands, travelling together, hugging, or kissing.
Treatment for HIV
Currently, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. However, there are medicines that can control HIV and prevent complications. Effective Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) drugs are available that can prolong the life of an HIV-positive person.
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