BENGALURU: The National Aids Control Organisation has decided to introduce routine viral load testing (a test that measures the quantity of virus in the body) instead of the current method where only those who are suspected of not responding to the treatment are tested. This will allow early detection of potential treatment failure and alternative treatments.
Currently, the programme is using targeted viral load testing to confirm suspected treatment failure owing to clinical or immunological failure of the patient. Under routine viral load testing, the patients on Antiretroviral therapy (ART) will be monitored using viral load test at regular intervals.
NACO has entered into a contract with Metropolis Healthcare Limited, Mumbai, under a public-private partnership (PPP) to provide viral load testing for patients across all ART centres in the country. This agency will carry out 2.1 lakh tests in the first year, starting from February 8.
Dr Ravi Kumar B, regional coordinator for Karnataka, NACO, said, “Each of the 64 ART centres will send five samples per week for a year. That should approximately cover 16,640 patients in the first year.” NACO has also planned to set up 80 public sector viral load laboratories across the country. “Karnataka will get eight new testing labs at government medical colleges in the state. We had only one lab for viral load testing at NIMHANS that tested 400 samples per month. We will have nine, tentatively by March,” Ravi said.
Eligibility of patients for viral load testing
All HIV1 and HIV1 & 2 co-infected patients who are registered under the programme and have been on ART for at least six months are eligible for viral load testing.
“There are two types of HIV virus — 1 & 2. We do not have technology to test viral load for virus 2. So, only the ones infected with virus 1 and those who are infected with both are eligible for testing,” he said.
