New Delhi: Deaths caused due to AIDS in India have come down to nearly 55 pc since 2007, while new HIV infections saw a reduction by 66 pc since 2000 and around a million people affected by AIDS are currently on antiretroviral therapy.
According to latest statistics presented by health minister J P Nadda at an ongoing high-level United Nations meeting in New York, in 2007, India had recorded 1,48,309 such deaths; in 2015, the figure stood at just 67,600.
On a global level, between 2005 to 2015 the deaths declined by 41 pc and between 2000 and 2015, new HIV infections in India fall from 2.51 lakh to 86,000 as compared with a global drop rate of just 35 pc.
India had faced the "spectre of disastrous consequences" on account of AIDS epidemic 15 years back but was able to manage the challenge effectively, Nadda told the UN meeting. "Targeted interventions based on close collaboration and empowerment of communities and civil society with appropriate funding from the government have helped deliver key life saving services to the affected population," Nadda said.
Nadda said India is proud of being one of the leading partners in the global fight against AIDS epidemic and is collaborating actively with a range of partner countries and other stakeholders including the UNAIDS,the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS.
At the high-level meeting on ending AIDS, Member States adopted the new political declaration that includes a set of time-bound targets to fast-track the pace of progress towards combating the worldwide scourge of HIV and AIDS over the next five years and end the epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
He further added, affordable medicines must be provided to tackle the prevalence of AIDS. He asked the UN to make sure that such affordable medicines have global access.
"The role of international assistance and cooperation cannot be underestimated. This is the time for developed countries to do more, not less, and enhance their commitments. We cannot afford to give the epidemic a chance to rebound" said Nadda asking for higher investment from international public health agencies to end the epidemic.
Nadda said, the government is trying hard to seek continuous funding for the programme as it is currently at a critical juncture. The number of HIV-affected people living on antiretroviral therapy has increased substantially and the number of annual AIDS-related deaths has gone down considerably.
"These remarkable successes have demonstrated that the target of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is realistic. Sustained political commitment and action is necessary to address the scale of challenge that still lies ahead," he said.
(With Agency inputs)
