Govt. approved National AIDS and STD Control Program till March 2026
Recently the Union Cabinet has approved the National AIDS and STD. The National AIDS and STD Control Program (NACP) has been approved to be extended till the year 2026.
- The cabinet has approved the fifth phase of NACP. Thus, now this program will be continued for the next five years (1 April 2021 to 31 March 2028). This program is fully funded by the Government of India.
- NACP was started in the year 1992. Since then its four phases have been successfully completed.
- The fifth phase of NACP will further enable India to tackle the AIDS epidemic. At the same time, this phase is also a step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal No. 3.3 (SDG 3.3) of the United Nations.
- It is noteworthy that SDG 3.3 envisions an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by the year 2030.
- NACP is being implemented as a comprehensive program for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India.
- Over time, the format of this program has been changed. Now the main emphasis is on behavioral change, rather than raising awareness, and decentralized measures instead of national level measures.
- In addition to these, there is also an emphasis on increasing the participation of NGOs, and networks of people living with HIV (PLHIV).
- NACP has been considered a successful programme.
This is confirmed by the following facts:
- There has been a 48% decline in new HIV infections in India on an annual basis (base year – 2010).
- AIDS-related deaths have declined by 82% on an annual basis (base year – 2010).
- HIV infection rate in India remains low. The HIV infection rate in adults is only 0.22%.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS
- HIV is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. If it is not treated on time, it can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome).
- It targets the person’s immune system. Due to this, the immune system of people gets weakened against many infections and some types of cancer. Whereas, only people with strong immune systems can deal with such infections.
- The virus is mainly spread through contact with certain body fluids of a person suffering from HIV. These body fluids are blood, semen, pre-semen fluid, rectal fluid, etc.
Source – The Hindu
