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.
