HIV+ women get newborn hope

 Living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is not easy, and it is even harder on couples who dream of becoming parents but fear passing on the virus to their children. But thanks to a new treatment scheme, these couples now have better than 90% chances of giving birth to a perfectly healthy, HIV-negative baby.
Titled ‘Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT)’, the scheme was launched in 2014, when the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) committed to ambitious testing and treatment targets to combat the AIDS epidemic.
The international organisation launched the 90-90-90 scheme in the same year, aiming for 90% early diagnosis, 90% patients on treatment and 90% suppression of virus by the year 2020.

Blood banks run out of kits

All blood banks supported by National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) are buying HIV ELISA (human immunodeficiency virus enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits, which are used to identify HIV-antibodies in the blood, from other sources as the organisation has run out of them. NACO has informed the Maharashtra State Aids Control Society (MSACS) that the supply of the kits would resume only after March 31.
According to documents that are in the possession of The Asian Age, the Sion Hospital blood bank, in an email to the Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS), has stated, “We don’t have HIV kits, so kindly try to as early as possible to mobilise the kits.” In reply to this, Dr Seema P. Todur, quality manager (blood safety), MDACS, provided contacts of NACO-approved suppliers to provide National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) validated kits to all the blood banks.

SHRC sends suo moto notice to Aids society over fund crunch

The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has sent a suo moto notice to Maharashtra State Aids Control Society (MSACS) for shortage of funds for HIV treatment, irregular distribution of condoms, and lack of drugs at Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres in the state. SHRC has made these observations based on articles published in the media.
“We have sent a suo moto notice to MSACS by acting on reports published in the media. We are yet to receive any response, as it has been sent just a few days ago. In the past one year, we have taken up 52 cases under suo moto,” said Justice Bhannurmath, chairperson, SHRC.

5 children die every month due to HIV

Raghu, a three-year-old from Narole, has been diagnosed with HIV infection and is currently staying with a local NGO. Sadly, both of Raghu’s parents, who were HIV-infected, did not opt for treatment even when Raghu was conceived owing to social stigma. Which is why, the HIV virus got transmitted into Raghu and he is now under continuous medication at ART Centre.
“Due to social stigma, Raghu’s parents did not take any medical precautionary measures to save their children from the infection. The child was delivered at home to save themselves from the shame,” said Bharat Tamang, project manager, Desire, an NGO working for HIV-infected children.

Lack of penalty increases HIV threat

Every year, hundreds fall prey to HIV infection through blood transfusion, states the data given by National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco). However, medical experts said many infected patients do not reveal their medical condition while donating blood. But government bodies that monitor transfusion don’t have any regulations to curb such incidences.
As per a Right to Information application in possession with The Asian Age, the central government body, Naco along with Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS) that function under it don’t have any penal provision under the blood policy. The person who filed the RTI application did not want to reveal his identity.

Patients feel the crunch in hospital-staff standoff

Every year, hundreds fallprey to HIV infection through blood transfusion, states the data given by National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco). However, medical experts said manyinfected patients do not reveal their medical condition while donating blood. Butgovernment bodies that monitor transfusion don’t have any regulations to curbsuch incidences.

As per a Right to Information application in possession with The Asian Age, the central government body, Naco along with Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS) that function under it don’t have any penal provision under the blood policy. The person who filed the RTI application did not want to reveal his identity.

“We don’t have any penal provision to stop such activities. If a donor deliberately donates his infected blood, the medical expert on field won’t know about it. So, there is no way to control such activities,” said Dr Srikala Acharya, director of Mumbai State AIDS Control Society (Msacs).

“After blood test, if we find any donor positive, we dispose the blood and contact the donor for counseling. We advice such donors not to donate their blood again and take precautionary measures,” she added.

34 per cent kids of HIV moms are not tested till 18 months

A National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) report has revealed that only 66 per cent of children of HIV positive mothers are tested till 18 months while 23 per cent of such vulnerable babies become untraceable and the remaining 11 per cent die before attaining 18 months of age. The report was published after Naco officials in Maharashtra studied around 11,000 HIV positive mothers along with their newborn babies.
As per Naco, it is mandatory to do all necessary tests till 18 months to find out if the baby of an HIV positive mother is HIV positive or not. According to experts, delay in providing treatment may lead to deterioration in health of the child which can lead to its death.

Maharashtra ignores WHO guideline

Despite World Health Organisation’s (WHO) new guideline to provide antiretroviral therapy for everyone diagnosed with HIV regardless of CD4 cell count, state ART centers are ignoring it, a move that can lead to more deaths.
Anita Mehta, 32-year-old, resident of Thane succumbed to HIV infection last month after struggling for a year. She would have survived for a few more years had she started the treatment at an earlier stage. Like her, hundreds of HIV-infected patients die due to delay in treatment. To address this issue, WHO had on October 1, released a new guideline calling for universal antiretroviral treatment to all patients irrespective of the CD4 counts.

State not in the pink of health

Gujarat is promoted as themodel state but when it comes to health conditions, things are not that rosy;the state has the unenviable record of topping the chart on diseases like TB,cholera and oral cancer

Gujarat's model of development might be a thing of envy for many states, but the health index of the state shows that the government has lagged behind in social healthcare. Nationally, the state has recorded the highest number of cases in several other diseases even as swine flu seems to be the biggest health scare affecting Gujarat and a few other states right now. Gujarat recorded the highest number of HIV, drug-resistant cholera, swine flu and oral cancer patients in 2014.

TAINTED TRANSFUSION

Sunita Mishra, a21-year-old student from Ahmedabad, met with a car accident in 2012 on her wayto grandparents' home in Vadodara. She was admitted to a private hospital in acritical condition. She was discharged a few days later. However, every month,her parents have to go to civil hospital to collect her medicines. Reason: Sunita had been infected with HIV after being administered tainted blood during treatment.

While Gujarat is peddling med ical tourism to the world, as many as 2,500 people in the state have contracted HIV through blood transfusion in six years. In reply to an application filed under the Right to Information Act, the Union ministry of health and welfare revealed that the state stood highest with 271 cases of HIV infections caused by blood transfusion. The shocker is that Gujarat has continuously recorded the highest number of cases in past six years. Experts attribute infections to medical negligence and rampant malpractice among blood banks.

7 years, but stingy NACO has no penny for female condoms

NACO has not provided anymoney to the city's Aids Control Society for distribution of female condoms for7 yrs despite the state slipping big time in execution of the scheme

In four years, the number of HIV-infected people in the state has increased by 116 per cent despite several target intervention (TI) schemes. And perhaps the biggest fail ure of the state is in the implementation of female con dom scheme. Reason: National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) hasn't provided a single penny to AMC's Aids Control Society (AMCACS) since its inception seven years ago.

According to NACO's official website, AMCACS is responsible for effective implementation of TI which helps in controlling the spread of infection among the vulnerable groups in the city. Female sex workers, drug addicts and homosexuals top the priority list in the TI programme.

KID KILLER: HIV TOLL DOUBLES IN GUJARAT

The number of children succumbing to HIVdoubled to 80 in the state last year while this year already 78 kids, includingnine in the city, have died; in the last eight years, 306 children havecontracted the virus in the city

Hemant (17 years) and Sushmita (12) are not only suffering from HIV but also coping with the death of their youngest brother Sushil (10). They were best friends and support to each other but things changed in September when Sushil succumbed to HIV-induced complications and pain.

SHORTAGE OF HIV TEST KIT PUTS BABIES AT RISK

Forpast 4 months, city's ART centre has not given dried blood spot kits to HIV+mothers so they can check if their infant has contracted disease; earlydetection increases chances of a baby's survival, say doctors

S umita, an HIVp o s i t i v e patient from Ahmedabad, delivered a baby boy four months ago. As if handling a newborn in her weakened condition is not taxing enough, the 20-year-old ­ who lives on the outskirts of the city -has to frequently travel 35 km to the anti retroviral therapy centre at Civil Hospital to ensure her baby undergoes blood tests that detect HIV infection.

Her repeated trips could have been easily avoided if the centre had given her free dried blood spot (DBS) kits so she could easily perform the tests at home and mail it to the lab for testing.

BIAS AGAINST HIV+ PLAYS HAVOC WITH LIVES OF PATIENTS

Also, fearing refusal of treatment,HIV+ patients are prompted to hide their status; this gives rise to risk ofmedical staff getting infected

Anil, a resident of Anand, was recently diagnosed with second stage oral cancer. Because of the ailment, he could not open his mouth properly to have food. With a lot of hope he came to Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad to undergo operation. He received proper diagnosis to begin with but things changed when he revealed that he was HIV positive.Doctors refused to operate upon him. He went to Vadodara and on Saturday got admitted to a private hospital. But sadly, he was again turned away.

Big question: Who moved the condom vending machines?

Asmany as 11,000 CVMs go missing across the state; activists blame it onmismanagement and poor maintenance

The use-and-throw policy applies to condoms. But in Gujarat, it seems to be applying to the condom vending machines (CVM) as well. For, a total of 11,000 CVMs have gone missing or stolen from across the state.

Across the globe, condoms have played a major role not only in curbing the spread of deadly diseases like HIV and AIDS, but also in avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Hence, National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) in association with public sector Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) came up with the idea of installing CVMs.