Gandhinagar (Gujarat): On World AIDS Day, the Gujarat State AIDS Control Society (GSACS), in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the Gujarat government, will launch an extensive awareness campaign.
The theme for 2024, "Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right," highlights the importance of safeguarding the rights of individuals living with HIV and promoting a dignified life for them, according to a press release issued on Saturday.
World AIDS Day is observed annually on December 1.
In partnership with GSACS, the Gujarat government has provided counselling, testing, and treatment services to over 22.5 lakh individuals in the past seven months.
Statewide activities will include rallies, street plays, painting, poster and rangoli competitions, quizzes, and essay-writing contests. Awareness messages will also be disseminated through public spaces, buses, trains, and LED screens. This campaign will see collaboration among government departments, private companies, NGOs, and educational institutions.
Through the concerted efforts of the Gujarat government and GSACS, the state has made significant progress in HIV control. According to NACO, Gujarat's estimated adult HIV prevalence fell from 0.20% in 2019 to 0.19% in 2023. Similarly, the HIV infection rate decreased from 6 per 1,00,000 uninfected individuals in 2019 to 4 in 2023.
GSACS reported that between April 1 and October 31, 2024, over 91,550 HIV-positive individuals were identified and provided with counselling and testing services under the Index Testing Campaign. Additionally, the Integrated Health Campaign conducted 325 camps offering screening and treatment services for HIV, TB, Hepatitis B & C, and STIs.
Under the STI control programme, Gujarat's 60 government STI control centres provided diagnostic and treatment services to 98,398 patients. Furthermore, more than 2,600 HIV testing facilities across the state tested 11,93,988 individuals during this period, identifying 4,729 (0.39%) as HIV-positive, who were subsequently offered counselling and treatment.
Additionally, under the Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS programme, over 8.96 lakh pregnant women were tested for HIV. Of these, 295 (0.03%) were found to be HIV-positive and were provided with counselling and treatment.
Gujarat boasts a robust network of 105 NGOs and two Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) centres conducting awareness and prevention activities. The state also operates 261 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTCs), three mobile vans, and over 2,400 screening centres that offer free HIV testing services. For treatment, 48 Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres and 59 Link ART centres provide free medication to individuals living with HIV.
The Gujarat government remains committed to eliminating stigma and discrimination against individuals living with HIV while safeguarding their rights under the HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. The World AIDS Day activities across the state aim to raise awareness and take significant steps towards fostering an inclusive society.
Preventing new infections, increasing awareness, and ensuring access to quality treatment remain at the core of the state's initiatives. (ANI)