“To end AIDS, we must ensure that no one is excluded,” remarked Mumbai-based Dr. Gilada, President Emeritus of the AIDS Society of India, at the 15th National Conference (ASICON 2024).
Dr. Ishwar Gilada described even one HIV death as one too many, claiming that India can eradicate AIDS if all HIV-positive people receive proper treatment.
“If everyone has access to the full range of HIV combination prevention, testing, treatment, and care services they require, we will be able to stop the spread of infection while also assisting people living with HIV to live healthy and productive lives.
To put an end to AIDS, we must ensure that no one is left behind,” remarked Dr. Gilada, President Emeritus of the AIDS Society of India, at the 15th National Conference (ASICON 2024).
According to a press release, the theme of the 15th ASICON is “Informs, Reforms, and Transforms HIV-care”.
Dr. Gilada, President Emeritus of the AIDS Society of India and a member of the International AIDS Society’s Governing Council, stated that of the estimated 24.67 lakh persons living with HIV in India (the world’s second largest), 16.80 lakh receive lifesaving antiretroviral medication.
This includes 1.06 lakh HIV patients who receive treatment from the private sector. As many as 79% of the 24.67 lakh people know they are HIV positive, 86% are getting antiretroviral medication, and 93% are virally suppressed.
“Every person with HIV who is on treatment should get a viral load test on a regular basis to ensure that the person is (and remains) virally suppressed, untransmittable, and healthy,” said Dr. Gilada, who was the first to raise the alarm about HIV in India and established India’s first AIDS Clinic in JJ Hospital Mumbai in 1986.
“Tuberculosis (TB), an ancient illness, is the leading cause of death among HIV patients. According to the most recent WHO Global TB Report 2023, over 48,000 persons in India were co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis, with 11,000 dying from the disease.
“When tuberculosis is preventable and curable, even one TB death is too many,” stated Professor (Dr) Dilip Mathai, President of the AIDS Society of India (ASI) and former Head of the Medicine Department at Christian Medical College Vellore.
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