Is HIV self-test among the missing links to reach the #endAIDS goal?
SHOBHA SHUKLA, BOBBY RAMAKANT - CNS
Almost half the countries worldwide have not yet included HIV self-test in their AIDS response. Only one-fourth of all nations globally do HIV self-test routinely. This is despite the strong evidence which exists not only for HIV self-test, but also how self-tests for COVID-19, diabetes, or pregnancy, have yielded major public health and development gains. Then why wait to expand HIV care cascade by including HIV self-test, asks Dr Ishwar Gilada, who was the first medical doctor to begin HIV medical management when first case got diagnosed in the country in 1986.
Why HIV testing is an entry point?
It is worrisome that globally, 15% of people living with HIV did not knew their status in 2021. In India one in four people living with HIV did not know their HIV status in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic had further negatively impacted the pace of HIV testing.
"Unless we ensure that all people living with HIV know their status, how will every person with HIV receive full cascade of HIV care services and stay virally suppressed (maintain undetectable viral load)? HIV testing is the key entry point to HIV care cascade. Ensuring that every person with HIV has undetectable viral load, as "undetectable equals untransmittable," is the only pathway towards ending AIDS," said Dr Ishwar Gilada, President of 14th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON) in Delhi, India, and also President of the AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Governing Council member of International AIDS Society. ASI is the nationwide network of HIV medical experts and researchers.
"Almost half of the countries (98) have included HIV self-testing policies, and one-fourth nations globally (52) are routinely implementing it. Self-tests for COVID-19, pregnancy, diabetes, etc have not only proven successful in increasing the uptake of tests but also how it links to care services, said Dr Ishwar Gilada. "There is no reason at all to delay full scale rollout of HIV self-testing in India as well as other countries which are missing leveraging upon this evidence-based intervention."
In 2019, the UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended HIV self-testing as part of HIV care cascade as it is an important approach to address gaps in HIV diagnoses, especially among key populations.
14th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASI) and ASI calls upon the government of India and over half of other countries that have not yet included HIV self-testing in their HIV response, to do so without delay - as clock is ticking! All governments worldwide have promised to end AIDS by 2030, for which it is vital to ensure everyone living with HIV everywhere must know the status and receive full spectrum of HIV care services.
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