Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday said treatment and retention of people living with HIV remained the biggest gaps in the State’s response to HIV/AIDS, even as AIDS-related deaths had declined by 61.18% since 2010. Chairing the first meeting of the Meghalaya State Council on AIDS, Sangma said Meghalaya’s HIV prevalence stood at 0.40%, twice the national average of 0.20%, while new infections had increased by 58.74% since 2010, equivalent to nearly seven cases detected every day.
“HIV/AIDS remains a serious public health challenge for Meghalaya and requires a coordinated, whole-of-society response,” Sangma said adding the State currently had 618 HIV cases, including 60 pregnant women living with HIV. He said only 77.2% of people living with HIV were on treatment, while 2,381 diagnosed persons were yet to begin treatment.
“Our biggest gap today is not diagnosis but treatment and retention,” the CM said.
Further he said financial constraints and stigma remained major reasons for loss to follow-up. The Chief Minister said the State would adopt a five-pronged approach focusing on early detection, treatment and retention, prevention of new infections, protection of mothers and children, and reduction of stigma.
“Our focus will be on a five-pronged approach: early detection, better treatment and retention, prevention of new infections, protection of mothers and children, and reducing stigma,” Sangma said adding the measures discussed included expanding self-testing and index partner testing, mobile ICTCs, new ART Centres, home delivery of medicines and missed-appointment tracking.
He also called for stronger awareness campaigns involving youth, communities, educational institutions and people living with HIV.
