World AIDS Day: T.N. has its eyes set on aggressive prevention, treatment

With the prevalence of HIV in Tamil Nadu dropping to 0.16% in 2023-2024, the State is continuously monitoring high-risk groups through periodic screening and reaching out to adolescents and youth in schools and colleges through awareness initiatives.

According to the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS), the State had brought down the HIV prevalence from 1.18% in 1997 to 0.16% during 2023-2024, which is lower than the national average of 0.23%. As of October 2024, 73 Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres offered continuum care, support and treatment to 1,32,590 Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) across the State. The State is focusing on prevention and treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

According to Health Secretary Supriya Sahu, the focus was on spreading awareness among the youth, and ensuring that persons on ART adhered to the drug regimen.

“Even as the HIV prevalence is well within what we would like to have achieved, we must not be complacent. We are finding that the young generation needs to know about HIV/AIDS. There seems to be a need to reach out to the young generation, who have access to all kinds of information. We want to look at how we can take the right kind of information to them,” she said.

As a part of preventive measures, an official said that there was continuous monitoring of high-risk groups by non-governmental and community-based organisations (NGOs/CBOs). For instance, there was continuous monitoring of female sex workers to ensure condom usage.

Through a Public Private Partnership model, the TANSACS was implementing 87 targeted intervention projects run by NGOs/CBOs in urban areas, and 17 Link Worker Schemes in rural areas as a part of prevention activities among high-risk groups (male having sex with male, female sex workers, injecting drug users and transgender persons) and among bridge population (truckers and migrants). Ms. Sahu said Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in setting up a trust for children, who were infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, in 2009. Started with a corpus of ₹5 crore, the State government has so far sanctioned ₹25 crore for it.

“We want to ensure that these children are taken care of…,” Ms. Sahu said, adding that during a recent review of targeted interventions, it was decided that an exclusive management course for PLHIV leaders would be designed.

“It is important to build the capacity of people who are HIV positive. There are many interventions, and a need to build their management capabilities…”