Quick Take | Tailor message, support messenger

Funding uncertainty among other factors has contributed to HIV/AIDS distribution across India. The intervention methods used in the 2000s can suggest ways to tackle with the disease

The move came in under India’s commitment to move toward declaring HIV/AIDS as an epidemic under control by World AIDS Day, 2027 (Photo | AFP)

The government’s selection of 219 districts for intensified HIV/AIDS intervention is welcome given the lopsided distribution of the disease burden across India. The National AIDS Control Organisation reported last year that Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka together accounted for two-fifths of the country’s burden. Also, the share of persons with HIV has been rising fast in Punjab and Meghalaya, whereas it’s been dipping in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. However, the government would do well to learn from the early intervention efforts in the 2000s. A substantial section of the country’s pool of trained health workers continue to suffer from irregularity of work because of funding uncertainty. Effective intervention also means adapting to the mores and morals of the target community to tailor messages for them.