Punjab, it seems, is playing a losing game against HIV-AIDS. The deadly disease has scored 383 deaths in just about eight months, from February to October this year — setting a tough target for the State Government.
If that is not enough, nearly three people have been done to death every day, on an average, during previous year till October 2014. Since October last year, a total of 920 people have succumbed to this lethal malady.
In 2012, the figure stood at 601, while the previous years’ (2011) figure was 576. Since 2003, a total of 3,750 persons have died because of HIV-AIDS.
Despite the State Government’s efforts to save Punjab from the cobweb of deadly disease, the grim figures call for a dire need to inject more efforts and transmit additional resources to make the state immune to the malady of HIV-AIDS.
Punjab has reported 31,961 people leaving with HIV-AIDS (PlWHA) with adult HIV prevalence of same as the previous year 0.18 per cent — with many of them going unnoticed or unrecorded.
With as many as 43,492 positive cases detected at 311 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTCs) and 37 Blood Component Separation Units (BCSUs) set up across Punjab with a positivity rate of 1.72 per cent, from 1993 to October 2014, the situation still stands alarming with 3,973 HIV cases being reported positive in 2014 alone.
Notwithstanding, the State Government, especially the State AIDS Control Society (PSACS) has intensified its efforts to tackle the menace. However, the State authorities have been patting its back for the “improved results its efforts have shown”, while at the same time “getting down to serious work” aiming at more and more coverage.
“Results are coming up but we are targeting to cover more and more people. Some areas have scored a naught in terms of reporting any HIV-positive cases. We are aiming that soon no HIV-positive case is reported in entire Punjab,” a senior official of Punjab State AIDS Control Society (PSACS) told The Pioneer.
Till October 2014, more than 21 lakh persons have been tested at various ICTCs, resulting in detecting a total of 43,492 HIV positive cases. A total of 32,685 patients have been registered in HIV care till date.
Total 19,944 cases have come to notice ever since the ART was started in Punjab till October 2014, with currently 14,553 on ART in the state.
PSACS official said that the reasons for increasing numbers of HIV positive cases in the State could be the fact that “we have increased the screening of people, and trying to cover the maximum population”.
“We are making efforts and will continue the same. These are showing results, but still there’s a lot more to do. There are so many groups, people yet to be covered and make aware about HIV-AIDS. We have started generating awareness from the school level,” said the official.