Early Diagnosis and Immediate Treatment Significantly Reduces the Risk of HIV

‘Hands Up’ for #HIV Prevention is this year’s theme for the World Aids Day. Observed every year on the 1st December by World Health Organization (WHO), World Aids Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.

To leverage this global movement Association of Hospital (AOH) calls on the general population to support community action to prevent HIV infection and build healthier communities as the vulnerabilities that drive the epidemic are different in different parts of the country. Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus.

Dr. P M Bhujang – President of the Association of Hospitals said “India has shown a 66% decline in new infections since 2000, said a new UNAIDS report. Discrimination and inequality towards HIV/AIDS patients has also reduced tremendously. The quality of treatment and care provided to HIV/AIDS patients has increased a lot over the last decade. In a move to grant stronger protection to the country’s HIV community, the government also plans to introduce the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing winter session.”

By June 2016, around 18.2 million [16.1 million–19.0 million] people had access to the life-saving medicines, including 910 000 children, double the number five years earlier. If these efforts are sustained and increased, the world will be on track to achieve the target of 30 million people on treatment by 2020. Education of the community and sustainable efforts by NGO’s, charitable organizations etc. will help in creating awareness among the masses.