Rajahmundry: The Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society is observing World AIDS Day on December 1 with the theme ‘Know Your HIV Status’ by advising people to undergo the HIV/AIDS test and start taking anti-retroviral therapy if testing positive for the benefit of self, family members and society in general in the state.
State medical and health authorities have sent a communication to medical officers working in primary health centres and community health centres to organise a series of programmes such as rallies, cultural activities, special camps for testing and counselling, provide access to treatment and ensure adherence to scheduled treatment of HIV/AIDS patients and even felicitate health staff doing good service to patients.
The programme is scheduled to be held throughout the first week of December in the state.
State medical and health authorities have started community based HIV testing, based on the theme formulated by the United Nations. This is mainly in areas where high risk group people live and also in areas where some people involve in high risk behaviour by visiting commercial sex workers.
Health personnel visit the identified areas with test kits and maintaining cold chain for the day, and invite people from high risk groups and others to take the test voluntarily.
In case the first test proves HIV positive, such people will be referred to the stand-alone integrated counselling and testing centre to undergo the remaining two mandatory tests to arrive at a final conclusion of their HIV/AIDS status.
In case they test positive for HIV/AIDS, they will be enrolled for anti-retroviral therapy. APSACS authorities maintain that as many as 1.84 lakh patients are registered for anti-retroviral therapy in the state at present.
