Care Support & Treatment(CST)

HIV infection is not the end of life. People can lead a healthy life for a long time with appropriate medical care. Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses replication, if taken at the right time. Successful viral suppression restores the immune system and halts onset and progression of disease as well as reduces chances of getting opportunistic infections – this is how ART is aimed to work. Medication thus enhances both quality of life and longevity.The country’s epidemic is concentrated among groups with high-risk behaviours and is heterogeneously distributed with wide geographic variations in the vulnerabilities that drive the epidemic. Even with this low prevalence, in terms of absolute numbers, India has the third highest burden of HIV in the world with an estimated 23.19 lakh (18.33 lakh–29.78 lakh) in 2020. Children

All persons diagnosed with HIV at the ICTC should be enrolled in the ART centres for HIV care and treatment services. ‘Adolescents’ are defined as persons aged between 10 and 19 years. Thorough clinical assessment, clinical history, physical examination and access to basic laboratory diagnostics are essential for rapid ART initiation. This section deals with the assessment of adults and adolescents with HIV infection. The steps to be followed during initial evaluation of PLHIV are as below:

  • Step 1: Clinical assessment and medical history
  • Step 2: Physical examination
  • Step 3: Baseline laboratory evaluation

 

19 ART centres providing free Care, Support & treatment services to people living with HIV (PLHIV), Anti-Retroviral Therapy, Treatment for Opportunistic infections, Follow up, nutritional and family couselling. Provision of link ART centre to dispense drugs at nearest public health facility. Social security schemes made available through single window model.

  • New PLHIV are registered for ARV after all investigation through NIDAN within one day.
  • ART dissension has increased from 93% to 99% for new cases in this year.
  • Introduction of e-SACEP (State AIDS Clinical Expert Panel) helps client take recommended ARV from nearest ART to improve their adherence level.
  • ART Centre SCB, MCH has declared as CoE, from 1st Dec. 2022, as per the approval of EC.
  • State is monitoring the ART linkage indicator through 5T program on quarterly basis.