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USHUS- Free Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) for HIV Positives
What is USHUS - ART Centres?
'Ushus' are the Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) centres set up in all the Government Medical Colleges in Kerala, functioning under the department of medicine. ARV treatment, drugs for opportunistic infections and the CD4 testing are all provided free of cost to HIV positives. Kerala is the first state in India to start ART for HIV positive people in 2004, by meeting funds from its exchequer. Since 2006, the ART centres are supported by National AIDS Control Organization.
Details
of Registration and Treatment at Ushus (ART) Centres |
Sl. No. |
Description |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
Progressive total from the beginning |
1 |
No.
of persons Registered for HIV care |
1,818 |
2,580 |
2,109 |
8,891 |
2 |
No.
of patients started on ART |
896 |
1,069 |
1,134 |
4,579 |
3 |
No.
of death reported |
135 |
225 |
254 |
1,300 |
4 |
No.
of Patients alive and on ART |
1,604 |
2,340 |
3,091 |
3,091 |
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Why the service is provided?
Before fifteen years, a diagnosis of HIV positive status meant patient's inevitable progression to AIDS and death. Since the use of combination drug therapy for HIV – the use of typically three or four anti HIV drugs, taken in combination, known as Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, or HAART or just Anti Retroviral Therapy – ART, HIV has been transformed into a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease. Given that HIV largely affects younger - middle aged adults, expanding treatment access would prevent breakdown of societal structure and restore economic development.
The goal of ART is to keep the number of HIV viruses in the blood to undetectable levels, thereby stopping the deadly assault of HIV virus on the immune system (the system that protects the body from foreign invaders like germs) of the diseased. At present, three or more ARV drugs are recommended worldwide for the treatment of people with HIV infection. As long as the HIV positive individual takes the medication on a regular basis he/she retains close-to-normal quality of life including working capacity. This has resulted in a dramatic decline in opportunistic infections (OI) and HIV-related deaths.
An opportunistic infection is caused by germs that normally do not bring about disease but causes disease when the body's immune system is impaired. HIV infected is unable to fight off infection, where the virus cripples the body’s defenses against those germs. Opportunistic infections are a particular danger for people with AIDS. The HIV virus itself does not cause death, but the opportunistic infections that occur because of its effect on the immune system can.
Services Provided at ART Centres
All HIV positive persons can register at ART Centres for HIV care. These centres also provide prophylaxis and treatment for opportunistic infections. Counseling is given for ART preparedness and adherence.
CD4 cell count estimation, which is to be done once in six months for all HIV positive persons is facilitated through ART centres and done free of cost. Ushus centres are linked to Community Care Centres, where People Living with HIV/AIDS requiring nutritional support, counseling, treatment of minor opportunistic infections is referred to.
Link ART Centres
Anti Retroviral Treatment is lifelong and the patients have to come to Ushus centres every month for the rest of his / her life. Distance, travel cost and inconvenience being perceived to be barriers for optimal adherence for ART, NACO has envisaged having drug distribution centres called Link ART Centres (LAC), which will be linked to the existing ART centre.
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