A total of 29,455 persons in the district have been identified since 2002 with HIV and 12,551 of them are on the antiretroviral therapy (ART) and a positive issue is that the number of HIV positive cases is gradually coming down. The percentage of positive cases among those tested was 2.51 during 2014-15 and 2.27 during 2015-16 and 2.24 so far during this year.
This was revealed by DMHO J. Sarojini and Additional DMHO (leprosy and AIDS) R. Ramesh at a press conference on Wednesday on the eve of the World AIDS Day.
About 8000 of those continuing ART are in urban area, 4000 in rural area and 270 in the Visakha Agency. Dr. Ramesh said more than half were not on ART. If the cd4 count is less than 500, treatment is not necessary but such persons have to undergo a test every six months.
Fifty per cent of the HIV positive persons are educated unemployed in the age group of 19 to 35 years and this could be due to reasons like they being migratory workers and late marriage.
Symptoms of HIV are fever for long duration, dysentery and skin infection while minor symptoms are oral thrush and lymph gland enlargement.
HIV test is mandatory for TB patients and pregnant women. Sexually transmitted infections and reproductive tract infection clinics are functioning at the KGH, Ghosha Hospital in the city and the Area Hospitals at Narsipatnam and Anakapalle while all the PHCs and some UHCs are conducting tests.
Counselling is given to the person undergoing the Elisa test before and after it is done. The test report is kept confidential and if the person tests positive, he or she is refereed to an ART Centre.
Six NGOs are involved in the AIDS prevention campaign of the government supported by NACO and one of it is working among the sex workers. A total of two lakh condoms are distributed every month in the district.
On Thursday, a community breakfast is arranged at the Ram Nagar Lions Club Hall, followed by a rally and a public meeting at the Andhra University’s Assembly Hall.
