Union Health Minister inaugurates World AIDS Day 2024 event
The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), has been observing World AIDS Day annually on December 1 since 1992.
About HIV Virus
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): It attacks and destroys the CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocyte) of the immune system. CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that play a major role in protecting the body from infection.
- HIV belongs to the Retrovirus family: Retroviruses have their instructions written on Ribonucleic acid (RNA). When a retrovirus invades cells, it changes its RNA to look like cells’ instructions (Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)).
- Then it cuts cells’ DNA and inserts its instructions into them, effectively hijacking cellular genetic machinery.
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is treatment of people infected with HIV using anti-HIV drugs
- If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
HIV status in India:
- Over 2.4 million people living with HIV in India, 3rd largest in the world.
- New HIV cases in India have decreased by 44% since 2010 which is higher than the global reduction rate of 39%.
Initiatives taken by India
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