Realising ART adherence among people who inject drugs in India

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Realising ART adherence among people who inject drugs in India

10 December 2013

The CAHR programme educates PWID living with HIV about positive prevention, emphasizing the importance of adhering to antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimens.

Adherence to ART is strongly correlated with HIV viral suppression, reduced rates of resistance, an increase in survival, and improved quality of life. Yet there are numerous cases in India of people living with HIV who exist in co-morbid conditions: dependent on substances but dropping their ART regime due to societal stigma and discrimination or to a lack of understanding about the need to adhere to treatment.

Lamyanba (name changed) from Imphal has been injecting drugs since 1989. When he tested positive for HIV recently, he had a dangerously low CD4 count of 19 and was immediately put on ART. He responded favourably to treatment, and his CD4 count increased to 600 in a span of six months. When his health improved, he decided to stop the treatment without consulting a doctor or service provider. Lamyanba’s decision is unfortunately too common.

Recognizing that PWID living with HIV frequently drop out from ART, the CAHR programme is undertaking active monitoring to address this problem. A tracking tool has been developed to monitor a client’s routine diagnostics. The tool indicates the dates for ART follow-ups, and an outreach worker contacts clients to remind them of their follow-up appointments. Outreach workers also keep a check on client CD4 counts.

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