HIV Patients Treated at Mumbai ART Centres Have Risen By 27%
The number of HIV patients registered in Mumbai’s anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres which offer free HIV medication has risen by 27% since 2015. Until November 2019 the ART centres had 39,040 patients compared to 30,697 in 2015-2016, according to ‘Hindustan Times’.
As a result of the therapy, HIV patients’ life expectancy has become “almost normal” and has led to this rise of patients treated. The therapy uses a combination of drugs to “suppress the virus and stop the progress of the disease.”
The advancement in medicines has helped raise the life-expectancy of HIV-infected patients by around 30 years. “In cases of HIV, the immunity of patients get affected, making them susceptible to comorbid diseases (like tuberculosis or pneumonia) easily, which ultimately leads to their death. With better medicines under ART, we are able to boost the immunity of patients, which has helped increase their lifespan,” said Dr Srikala Acharya, additional project director of MDACS.
Ganesh Acharya, an HIV-infected patient who has been on ART for 25 years, said, “Two decades ago, HIV was considered a death sentence, with relatives isolating and disowning patients. With regular intake of medicines, I have been able to live a normal life like others.”
The ‘Hindustan Times’ report that “the Union health ministry seeks to make the country HIV/AIDS-free by 2030 with the 90–90–90 strategy. Under this, their target is to identify 90% living with HIV, place 90% of people identified as living with HIV on treatment and ensure that 90% of people on treatment have sustained viral load suppression.”
“With rising awareness and better screening, patients are being diagnosed at an early stage. Also, ten years ago, they had to take over two dozens of medicines, which has come down to only one-two with fewer side effects,” said Dr Naresh Goel, deputy director-general, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).
Mumbai currently has 25 ART centres.
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