The world-wide battle against AIDS is finally at a place where the UN believes the virus could be defeated by 2030. Goa too has turned the corner and a study conducted by Goa State AIDS Control Society shows that after years of increasing numbers, the number of HIV positive cases detected in 2015 has indicated a decline. In 2008 the State registered 1,019 HIV positive cases while the number of patients with full blown AIDs was 105.
However, last year, after testing 47,035 blood samples, the State recorded just 345 cases with HIV+ status and 29 with AIDS. The taluka with the most number of cases was Mormugao followed by Bardez and Salcete. The fight against HIV and AIDS has proved to be doubly difficult
because of the lack of an effective vaccine, but over the
last 30 years or so the world under the UN has succeeded in
putting in place several regimes for creating awareness, targeting
the most vulnerable groups, better testing and effective
delivery of drugs at a lower cost to
HIV+ persons.
Goa’s brush with HIV came in
1987 when the first patient was discovered
through a blood test. From
then till 2015 nearly 16,025 HIV+
cases have been discovered. Prior
to 1992 very few cases were detected.
The numbers began to rise after
that and it is only now that the
State has recorded a sharp dip which shows that the steps
taken by government agencies and perseverance by NGOs,
who work tirelessly behind the scenes, have borne fruit.
The trend displayed in Goa is similar to the pattern in the
rest of the country. A UN report states that the number of cases
in India have declined by over 20 per cent over the last four
years. In the same period the world has recorded 35 per cent
less HIV infections and a reduction of 41 per cent in AIDS related
deaths. That is, nearly 30 million new infections were
averted since 2000.
The response to AIDS is based on three principles, removal
of stigma, testing and delivery of drugs. While removal of
stigma is the toughest part of the battle and impacts on the
remaining two, those fighting against AIDS have succeeded
in pushing forward. As an when HIV+ persons are detected,
NGOs move in to provide counselling while the Goa
State AIDS Control Society steps in to provide drugs. The fight
against AIDS in the State is made more complicated because
Goa is an international tourism destination and the absence
of a law for mandatory testing. Some years back the government
had mulled a law to make AIDS tests mandatory for couples
to register their marriage, but is was shot down after a
public outcry.
The fact is that the stigma surrounding AIDS still exists and
awareness programmes over the years have not succeeded in
reversing this. And with the stigma still in place mandatory
testing becomes impossible, which means there could be a
number of HIV cases which are still undetected. The number
of blood samples tested is 2015 was just 3.33 per cent of the total
population and since HIV carriers could remain undetected
for a long time, the real HIV+ figure is a guesstimate. A UN
AIDS report stated that a global level, 19 million of the 35 million
HIV+ persons do not know their status and hence more
works needs to be done to enable people to come forward for
voluntary testing. Goa has move forward but clearly, more
needs to be done on this front if AIDS is to be defeated by 2030.
