Kohima: Nagaland, which has more than 12,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) on Monday (June 26) got its first HIV-1 viral load laboratory. The laboratory set up in Naga Hospital Authority Kohima (NHAK) will help the patients undergo viral load testing, which is required at least once a year for PLHIV. Commissioner and Secretary for Health and Family Welfare Department, Y Kikheto Sema, said that India, being a signatory of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, is committed to ending AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
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He said,
Nagaland has approximately 12,290 PLHIV who are on treatment and many more are unreached and untested for HIV. The state has the second-highest HIV positive cases in the country. PLHIV have to mandatorily undergo viral load testing at least once a year. If the viral load does not come down, it indicates that the person is not responding to the drug and therefore will need another line of treatment. The laboratory will help doctors provide correct treatment to PLHIV
He said the launching of the first HIV-1 viral load laboratory is a significant milestone in ensuring better treatment and care for the PLHIV people. He added,
We had to send blood samples to Mumbai and RIMS Imphal.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
