Reducing the stigma and fear about HIV is a huge challenge because all we know is that there’s no robust vaccine capable of treating HIV. Bit actually, there is. While there are ways to help prevent a person from getting HIV, for those who are HIV positive and are looking for an HIV treatment in India, ART (Antiretroviral Therapy) is our answer to them.
What is ART?
In simple terms, ART are medicines that can help treat HIV. These medicines do not kill or cure the HIV virus; however, they help in viral suppression and maintaining health status and quality of life in patients living with HIV. Sustained adherence requires a consistent supply of medications along with education and support. While Government of India has tried to remove the structural barriers for accessing ART by its free ART roll-out program. There remain other barriers from patients’ side to achieve and/or maintain optimal adherence. Few major barriers are:
- Socio-cultural barriers – fear of breach of anonymity, fear of discrimination and stigma
- Patients’ belief, attitude and behavior – perception that ART can be stopped if signs of HIV (HIV symptoms in men and HIV symptoms in women) disappear, perception that ART can be skipped, side effects of ART
- Experience at facility – discrimination faced by service providers at nearby HIV test centers, providers are too busy to motivate PLHIV for ART adherence
Adherence is the key with ART
If you are HIV positive, we highly recommend that you start ART immediately and adhere to it. Here are a few points that you should keep in mind:
- ART is a lifelong medication which helps you fight the HIV virus in your body.
- Early initiation of ART is a key to healthy living with friends and family.
- ART is freely available at your nearest ART center. Stay in touch with them.
- Always adhere to ART regime and never skip your doses
- Continuing ART will reduce your CD4 count and will make it undetectable, which will help in reducing transmission of HIV to your sexual partners (Undetected=Unprotected) but you may transfer infection to other, so using a condom is must.
Yes4Me can help you with ART and HIV treatment in India
You can also reach out to our counselors who can help you with more information on ART and how to go about it. Our team of experts are always at your disposal and will help you book an HIV test online to help you verify your HIV status and help you access HIV treatment in India.
