Protect the gains made in fighting AIDS from co-infections and co-morbidities
HIV response needs to address threats like TB, hepatitis &antimicrobial resistance
5 Dariya News
Mumbai 23-Feb-2025
“Globally, 86% people living with HIV knew their status, 89% of them were on antiretroviral therapy, and 93% of those on the therapy were virally suppressed. This makes it possible to live healthy normal lives but a range of co-infections, co-morbidities and antimicrobial resistance continuesto threaten to reverse the progress made in HIV response,” said Dr Ishwar Gilada, Emeritus President of AIDS Society of India (ASI) who also serves on the Governing Council of International AIDS Society (IAS) and as Chairperson of IAS Asia Pacific.
The 16th National Conference of AIDS Society of India (ASICON 2025), which was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Honourable Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel in Ahmedabad, is being organised by AIDS Society of India (ASI) which is the largest medical professional association of HIV experts in the country.
Scientific partners of ASICON 2025 include the International AIDS Society (IAS); National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and National TB Elimination Programme, Central TB Division, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Gujarat Medical Council; Infectious Diseases Society of Gujarat; UNAIDS; CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa); AHF India Cares; among others. Gujarat Tourism and Indian Convention Promotion Bureau under Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India are also partnering with the ASICON 2025.
HIV and hepatitis
Dr Juergen Rockstroh, Professor of Medicine andHead of the HIV Outpatient Clinic at the University of Bonn in Germany(who was awarded ASI Lifetime Achievement Award by the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel) said there are an estimated 290 million people with hepatitis B virus (HBV), 58 million people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and 40 million people with HIV – and some of them are co-infected too.
He called for scaling up HBV vaccination for all eligible people. There is a significant reduction in liver-disease related deaths among those co-infected with HIV and HBV if they are treated with antiretroviral drugs that are proven to have dual activity against both. He said that “eliminating HCV elimination in HIV co-infected people is achievable.”
HIV and antimicrobial resistance
Dr N Kumarasamy, Chief and Director of VHS Infectious Diseases Medical Centre, Chennai and Co-Chair of ASICON 2025 said that misuse and overuse of lifesaving antiretroviral medicines have made the virus resistant, in which case we need to treat people with newer drugs.
But newer drugs are limited and called upon responsible use of antiretroviral medicines, treatment monitoring and adherence. Dr Kumarasamy presented early-stage data of an ongoing multicentric study on HIV becoming resistant to newer antiretroviral medicines like dolutegravir which is very alarming. We must save the medicines that protect us.
Dr Prapti Gilada, microbiologist at UniLabs Mumbai, said that misuse and overuse of medicines is making it difficult to treat a range of infections in general population as well as among people living with HIV (such as STIs for example). Infections that were simpler to treat earlier, are becoming difficult to treat (or untreatable at times).
She called for early and accurate diagnostics (find the right disease-causing bug), treat it with right medicines (AMR stewardship) and optimal infection prevention and control practices to prevent AMR.
Prevent obesity
Dr Trupti Gilada, infectious diseases expert at Unison Medicare and Research Centre and Co-Organising Secretary of ASICON 2025 said that people living with HIV do show weight gain months after initiation of antiretroviral therapy.Obesity puts them at an elevated risk of a range of life-threatening conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, among others. Preventing obesity will help lead them healthier lives.
HIV and India
According to NACO, when compared to 2010, HIV rates have almost halved in India by 2023 (44.23% decline, which is more than the global decline in the same period 39%) and AIDS-related deaths have declined by 79.26% in India by 2023 (which is more than the global decline in the same period 51%).
In 2023, there were 25.44 lakh people living with HIV in India with an adult HIV prevalence around 0.20% in the Indian population (which is below the global average of 0.70%). There were 68,450 new HIV infections diagnosed and 35,870 people died of AIDS in India in 2023.
In 2023, there were 19,961 pregnant women living with HIV who needed medical services for preventing HIV transmission before, during and after childbirth (as part of the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV programme of NACO).
HIV and Gujarat
According to NACO, in Gujarat by 2023, adult HIV prevalence in the population was 0.19% (which is similar to the national average of 0.20%). There were 1,20,312 people living with HIV and 800 people with HIV died in Gujarat in 2023. There were 2671 new people diagnosed with HIV in 2023 in Gujarat.
Compared to 2010, by 2023, decline of HIV incidence in Gujarat was 56.86% (which is more than the national average decline of 44.23%). ASICON Co-Chair Dr Harsh Toshniwal said this is a great opportunity for the state of Gujarat, as the state has got its first chance to host ASICON and thus benefit the medical scientific community in Gujarat to gear up towards ending AIDS by 2030.