Resolution 75/260 of UNGA: HIV/AIDS

• 12 Jun 2021

Why in News

The Union Health Minister addressed the 75^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on prevention of HIV/AIDS.

• The Resolution 75/260 of UNGA deals with the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

• Important Points of Address:
  
  • HIV/AIDS Prevention Model: India’s unique HIV prevention model is centered around the concept of ‘Social Contracting' through which the ‘Targeted Interventions Program’ is implemented with support from civil society.
    • The program is aimed at behaviour change, communication, outreach, service delivery, counselling & testing and ensuring linkages to HIV care.
  • Legal Framework: The HIV & AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017, provides a legal and enabling framework to safeguard the human rights of infected and affected populations.
  • Free Treatment: India is providing free anti-retro-viral treatment to close to 1.4 million people.
    • Anti-retro-viral therapy: It is a combination of daily medications that stop the virus from reproducing.
    • The therapy helps in protecting CD4 cells thus keeping the immune system strong enough to fight off the disease.
    • It, besides reducing the risk of transmission of HIV, also helps in stopping its progression to AIDS (a spectrum of conditions caused by infection due to HIV).
  • National AIDS Control Program:
    • The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) launched the first phase of the National AIDS Control Programme in (1992-1999).
      • NACO is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
      • It was constituted in 1992 to provide leadership to HIV/AIDS control programmes in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies.
    • India is gradually transitioning the people living with HIV to Dolutegravir (a safer and efficacious anti-retro-viral medication regimen).
  • The target of Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV: For this, viral load testing facilities have been scaled up, and HIV counselling, testing and community-based screening for early diagnosis have been ramped up.
• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and HIV/AIDS: There are a number of SDGs related to the HIV response:
  
  • SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.
    
    • Target 3.3: End AIDS as a public health threat by 2030
  • SDG 4: Quality education, including targets on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education and life skills.
  • SDG 5: Gender equality, including targets on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and the elimination of violence, harmful gender norms and practices.
  • SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, including targets on protection against discrimination, and the empowerment of people to claim their rights and enhance access to HIV services.
  • SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, including reduced violence against key populations and people living with HIV.
• Other Initiatives:
  
  • Project Sunrise: The initiative was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2016, to tackle the rising HIV prevalence in north-eastern states in India, especially among people injecting drugs.
  • The Red Ribbon: The red ribbon is the universal symbol of awareness and support for people living with HIV.
    
    • Wearing a ribbon is a great way to raise awareness on and during the run up to World AIDS Day.
  • 90-90-90: 90% of those who are HIV positive in the country know their status, 90% of those who know their status are on treatment and 90% of those who are on treatment experience effective viral load suppression.
  • Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM): The Global Fund is a 21^st-century partnership organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus

• HIV attacks CD4, a type of White Blood Cell (T cells) in the body’s immune system. T cells are those cells that move around the body detecting anomalies and infections in cells.
• After entering the body, HIV multiplies itself and destroys CD4 cells, thus severely damaging the human immune system. Once this virus enters the body, it can never be removed.
  
  • The CD4 count of a person infected with HIV reduces significantly. In a healthy body, CD4 count is between 500- 1600, but in an infected body, it can go as low as 200.
• Weak immune system makes a person prone to opportunistic infections and cancer. It becomes difficult for a person infected with this virus to recover from even a minor injury or sickness.
• By receiving treatment, severe forms of HIV can be prevented.

Source: PIB