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Activities taken up on HIV/AIDS, prevention and control have yielded
results with increase in the number of HIV testing Centers like 4
Mobile Integrated Counseling & Testing Centres, awareness activities
through mass media viz., press, television & radio; starting STD
clinics under Public Private Partnership, care and support centres,
and Anti Retro Viral Therapy treatment centres in the state to
provided enhanced access to HIV prevention and control services. As
a result, it is now estimated that, the HIV prevalence has come down
from 2% in 2004 to 0.88% in now.
8,78,251 people getting tested voluntarily to know their HIV status
during the period April to October 2008 in the state. The number of
community care centres to provide treatment to People Living with
HIV/AIDS have been increased to 95 and more than 11,000 patients
have accessed the services during the year 2008-09 so far.
Similarly, voluntary blood collection has also increased to 3,02,632
units which is 73% of the total blood collection in the state during
this year. 210 licensed blood banks are working in the state where
steps are taken to provide tested safe blood for HIV. Of these 88
NACO supported Blood Banks are being provided with counselors.
More than 40,900 AIDS patients are being provided with the Anti
Retroviral Therapy medicines free of cost and it is proposed to
start 40 link ART Centres this year to increase the access to ART
medicines in rural areas to AIDS patients. Pensions to the persons
who are receiving ART on par with pensions to the disabled persons
are on the anvil and would be started shortly.
Under Targeted Interventions, 88% of the Key populations are covered
with programmes taken up by APSACS and partners like BMGF. At
present there are 41 FSW, 7 MSM, 5 IDU interventions by SACS for
High Risk Groups covering 40% of these populations and the partners
are covering the rest 60% HRGs by the partner organisations. In
addition, 12 interventions for migrants and 7 interventions for
truckers have also been started to saturate the coverage of all key
populations.
An interactive tele-in programme is started on Rainbow FM channel
called "Mee Nestam" on every Thursday broad cast from 6.00 p.m. on
HIV/AIDS. This programme is scaled up and it now on AIR across the
state. Similar programmes are aired through private FM Channels –
Radio Mirchi an Big FM focusing on youth and adolescents.
Adolescence Education Programme on HIV/AIDS in schools and colleges
for students of 9th class and above was held successfully covering
all the schools and 40% of colleges. Awareness programmes for women
of self help groups, panchyat raj institutions, police department
were conducted.
There are 85 STD clinics functioning at present in the state. 100
more STD clinics are being started under Public Private Partnership
during the year 2008-09. 1200 more STD clinics are being started
under Public Private Partnership in association with Population
Services International during the year 2008-09.
Under mainstreaming efforts, a new programme called "Abhaya" has
been started in association with Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport
Corporation to provide HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment
services to the RTC employees and their families. A MoU was signed
on 4th July 2008 and 4 ICTCs were started on 15th August 2008 at the
RTC hospitals in Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Kadapa and Visakhapatnam.
677 HIV testing centres are started in all Teaching Hospitals,
District hospitals, area hospitals, CHCs and selected PHCs in the
state and more than 34 lakh 84 thousand people got tested
voluntarily in these testing centres during the years 2004 to 2008.
Out of this, 3 lakh people are identified with HIV.
4 mobile Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre Vans were started
to cover the tribal and un-reached areas in the state during the
year 2008-09 by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
recently. (4th November 2008). Similarly, 2 mobile Information,
Education and Communication Vans will also be started during the
year 2008-09 to create awareness among tribal populations and remote
areas.
"SAHARA" Identity cards for the patients receiving the Anti
Retroviral Therapy (ART) medicines are provided which would help
them to access the benefits provided by the Govt. like concessions
for travel, priority in housing schemes and pensions etc., with out
any stigma or discrimination
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