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Migrant workers still out of reach of HIV screening
Why is it in news?
- A large number of migrant labourers vulnerable to HIV infection in Ganjam, the most AIDS prone district in Odisha are still out of reach of regular screening and test for possibility of presence of the deadly virus in their body.
- Ganjam is the eighth most HIV infection-prone district in the country.
- Most of the HIV infected persons of the district are migrant labourers, who work outside Odisha, especially in Surat of Gujarat.
- As per an assessment, there are around five lakh migrant labourers in Ganjam district.
- At present, around 1,47,000 persons in Ganjam are getting screened for HIV infection in a year.
- Out of them, around 60,000 are pregnant women, as now thrust is on preventing transfer of HIV from infected mothers to newborns.
- The other tests are targeted at migrant labourers.
‘90-90-90’
- UNAIDS has envisioned to achieve ‘90-90-90’ target by 2020, which will result in controlling HIV infection to sustainable state by 2030.
- As per the ‘90-90-90’ target, 90% of all HIV infected persons should get diagnosed and know their HIV positive status.
- Ninety %of these diagnosed HIV positive persons are to be provided regular Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
- Ninety % of persons taking ART should show signs of viral suppression which reduces their scope of infection.
- But in Ganjam district, getting 90% of all the HIV positive persons diagnosed is still a distant target.
- From May 2000 till October 2018, total number of persons tested to be HIV positive in Ganjam district is 15,373.
- It is around 33% of total number of 46,128 HIV positive persons in Odisha.
Source
The Hindu