World AIDS Day was organised at Ambala about fast expanding AIDS/HIV disease, its origin & evolution, symptoms, treatment and much more. This year, the theme of World AIDS Day is “End inequalities. End AIDS”. The theme focuses on reaching people left behind
Chandigarh: World AIDS Day is observed every year on 1 December to spread awareness, educate and develop an understanding of HIV as a global public health problem. AIDS’s full form is Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome – a chronic and life-threatening condition caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) damages the immune system of the human being and the ability of the body to fight against disease is hampered. HIV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The campaigns started to make people aware of AIDS and since 1988, every year December 1 is celebrated as World AIDS Day. During pregnancy, it spread through contact with infected blood from mother to child during childbirth or breastfeeding. Till now, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS but with the help of medicines, the progression of the disease can be slowed down. The number of CD4 cells in a healthy human is between 500 and 1600 per cubic millimeter. In a patient suffering from AIDS, the number of these cells decreases to less than 500 per cubic millimeter, and hence the infection of the human body due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protozoa occurs.
According to National AIDS control organization (NACO) report, in past one year 1089 patients suffering from AIDS disease have been reported died in five Northern state Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Jammu-Kashmir and Chandigarh (UT) identified as 566 patients died out of total number of 1,05 lakh patients in Punjab, 305 patients died out of total number of 56,578 patients in Haryana, 64 patients died out of total number of 7,883 patients in 137 patients died out of total number of 6,689 patients and 17 patients died out of total number of 2596 patients suffering from this disease. Information by this report also revealed that during 2023, Punjab had 9103 new patients, Haryana had 2898 new patients, Hinachal had 209 new patients, Jammu-Kashmir had 175 new patients and Chandigarh had 81 new patients suffering from dreaded disease AIDS.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report for the year 2022 there were nearly 3.6 crore patients identified HIV positive in the world. According to the State of National AIDS response report, nearly 62,967 fresh cases of patients suffering from AIDS are being reported every year which includes a maximum number of patients between age 15 to 49 which include 69% male and 78% females. During medical examination, it was also observed that 0.22% males and 0.19% females were found having HIV symptoms. Information also reveals that 41,968 patients suffering from this highly infectious disease died as observed in the report for the year 2023. According to the report, nearly 69% males and 78% females in the country are unaware of the ill effects of this dreaded disease.
Dr Ravinder Kaur Sachdeva
According to the National AIDS Control Organization 2023 report, every 300th person in Punjab, 511th person in Haryana, 983th person in Himachal , 1833th person in Jammu-Kashmir and 462th person in Chandigarh UT was found suffering from AIDS/HIV infection to some extent. According to Dr Ravinder Kaur Sachdeva Senior Medical Officer ART in PGIMS Chandigarh, one should immediately get themselves checked for symptoms of this highly infectious disease at the ART centre functioning in civil hospitals in the state. She said that there are more than 16,500 HIV positive patients registered with ART centres in PGIMS which include more than 350 patients registered in the past four to five years. She said unsafe sex and use of the same syringe for injecting drugs in the body are the prominent reasons for having infection of AIDS/HIV positive disease. Information also revealed that out of the nearly 1.80 lakh patients suffering from AIDS/HIV in five Northern states there are more than 1.05 lakh patients suffering from this disease in Punjab; only of them 566 have died.
While talking to Dr B.B. Lala Medical Officer RTC Ambala, he disclosed that in past 11 months this year 3407 new patients suffering from AIDS/HIV disease have been registered in ART centre, Ambala and most of the patients were found having drugs and unsafe sex under the influence of drugs was reason for having infection from the sex partner having symptoms of this disease. Dr Lala said that there were 1078 patients registered in Ambala centre during year 2020- 21, which increased to 1983 patients in in 2021-22, increased to 2272 in 2022-23, further increased to 3212 in 2023-24 and the number of patients have reached to 3407 during this year till 30th November 2014.
