Showing a positive trend, prevalence rate of HIV positive cases in Coimbatore has reduced to 0.48 % in 2016-17 period against 3.05 % recorded in 2006, said officials with the District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit (DAPCU).
Even though the number of persons screened has been on the rise, the total number of positive cases is reducing, said the officials.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Prevalence rate
ADVERTISEMENT
The prevalence rate reduced even when the number of persons who underwent the test increased from 42,858 to 1.4 lakh over the period of 10 years.
R.V.M. Kumanan, district supervisor of DAPCU, said that the steady decline in HIV prevalence rate is because of effective executing of various programmes of Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS).
“We have extended the counselling and IEC activities (information, education and communication) activities to key villages and hotspots that were not covered earlier. Tribal areas of Topslip and Kallar, near Mettupalayam, were covered under this where free condoms were also distributed,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Testing centres
The district has 26 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) and one mobile ICTC that offer counselling before and after HIV testing. On the treatment front, antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres are functioning at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and Pollachi GH in addition to six link-ART centres. Clinics for sexually transmitted infection are operational at CMCH and government hospitals at Valparai, Pollachi and Mettupalayam.
HIV-TB co-infection
With chances for co-infection of TB very high among people living with HIV, those tested positive for the virus are also subjected to test for TB infection. According to officials with DAPCU, IEC activities helped more people in the risk groups to undergo the test and start early medication in case of positive results.
NGOs involvement
Currently, Imayam and Native Medicare Charitable Trust are doing targeted intervention programmes of TANSACS among high risk groups.
Another organisation named Vihaan is working among various groups to access social benefit schemes of the Government for people living with HIV such as widow pension, old-age pension and free bus pass for ART. In 2016, as many as 116 students in the district received grants from Government given to orphans and vulnerable children.
Rally
A rally to mark Worlds AIDS Day will be flagged off by the District Collector at the Collectorate premises at 10.30 a.m. on Friday. This will be followed by a ‘Samapanthi Bhojan’ organised by DAPCU at CSI Bishop Appasamy B Ed College where several important personalities will have lunch with people living with HIV/AIDS.