Since 1988 December 1 is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection.
Rise and Fall of AIDS
Dr. Pr. Prabir Chatterjee
Around 40 years ago a new syndrome was noticed. People suddenly started developing the rare Kaposi’s sarcoma- a cancer of the skin. Many of them seemed to have a history of having more than one sexual partner.
The French and the USA raced to find the cause. Others suggested that it was the result of a conspiracy to track and expose certain tendencies in the armed forces. Later the virus that lay behind the mystery was named Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It could not be cured at that time.
So huge programs sprang up to prevent new cases and to look after the orphans, especially in South Africa and its neighbors. Contaminated blood, infected needles and transmission from mother to child meant that it could spread further. It reached every nation and community in the planet. This was despite the HIV being a very weak virus that is easily destroyed by a solution of bleaching powder. Privacy or confidentiality of those infected became a huge issue as social boycotts were common.
Then medicines were found. HIV became less scary. Early testing and continuous treatment made it just as possible to treat it as Diabetes. The first symptoms of a fever and a mild cold might be missed, but loss of weight, fever for more than 2 weeks, repeated loose stools were warnings.
Widespread blood test was conducted. Pregnant women were tested to find out which communities were affected. And everyone with a needle stick injury as tested. But the medicines were still very expensive.
Over Rs 30 thousand a month was ten times the salary of a medical intern in some parts of India at that time. Indian companies found ways to manufacture locally and the prices dropped. By allowing Indian companies to export to other countries, treatment became available at a reasonable cost to governments throughout the world. The National AIDS Control Organization collaborates with patient groups throughout the country and soon Indian People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) became a force to reckon with.
However funders like to take up new or “innovative” projects ever so often. They had neglected TB and Leprosy and even Malaria to face the new challenges in HIV. Now they looked for 21st century challenges. First the chronic diseases and Influenzas with exciting names (Bird Flu and Swine Flu), then SARS and MERS and most recently Covid 19. Now highly active anti retroviral (HAART) medicines for HIV are difficult to find and NACO is being given less funds.
Today, HIV, TB, Leprosy, Kala azar, Sickle Cell Disease are not getting enough money for research or for national control programs. Some of them are even called Neglected Diseases by World Health Organization. HIV is not included in this category yet. But soon it might be. What a fall- for the disease that attracted so much media attention in the late years of the 20th century!
(Dr. Prabir Chatterjee is a committed social activist medical doctor)