Inaugurating the World AIDS Day 2024 commemoration at Indore, Madhya Pradesh on 1st December 2024, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda emphasized on three important directives for people to pursue in the fight against AIDS – caution to prevent HIV/AIDS infections, adopting a healthy lifestyle and raising awareness to combat stereotypes. He also urged authorities to evaluate the effectiveness of their AIDS control efforts and address any gaps.
In keeping with the World AIDS Day 2024 theme, ‘Take the rights path’, the Union Minister underscored the importance of treating HIV positive people with a human angle. Highlighting that every person has the right to a dignified life, he urged everyone to include people with HIV in the mainstream.
Expressing his admiration for health workers for handling such diseases with extreme care and dedication, Nadda noted that they carry on their work despite being exposed to infected people at all times and emphasized on the need to protect them.
The Union Minister highlighted the government’s unwavering approach to tackling HIV/AIDS, citing the ongoing Phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Program. He underlined the sustained efforts by NACO and State AIDS Control Societies which ensured low HIV epidemic level in India over the years with new infections in the country in 2023 almost 44% lower than in 2010 while AIDS related deaths declined by 79%.
He noted that India has come a long way in its fight against AIDS and highlighted that India is taking a lead in AIDS control by producing the most affordable as well as effective medicines and sharing them with the neediest. He also stated that the Union government provides free medicines for AIDS patients.
Further, Nadda noted that India has adopted a 90-90-90 target for combating AIDS which includes the target of detecting 90% cases of AIDS in the country, 90% of people to be treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 90% to have their viral load suppressed. He stated that this target was later increased to 95-95-95, out of which 81% people with AIDS have been identified, 88% are being given ART and viral load of 97% identified people has been suppressed.
