Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 285/22

LFU TRACKING TRACING DRIVE LAUNCHED IN EAST JAINTIA HILLS DISTRICT

The Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat, Shri. A. Baranwal, IAS, today launched the Lost to Follow Up Tracking Tracing Drive at the VC room of the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat. The objective of the Drive is to trace people living with HIV in order to bring them back to Antiretroviral Therapy Treatment or ART. The project will be implemented by the Meghalaya State Network of Positive People.

Addressing the gathering, the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat, Shri. A. Baranwal, IAS, informed that there are 241 people living with HIV who have fallen out of ART Treatment. He said that the objective of the Lost to Follow Up or LFU Tracking Tracing Drive is to ensure that all 241 people are brought back into continuous and regular ART treatment and to simultaneously test their immediate family members, spouse and children to find out their status as well. The Drive will also create awareness among the public that through the help of the ART treatment a person who is infected with HIV can also live a normal life and also to prevent stigmatization against them, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner congratulated the Project Assistant, AHANA, Assistant Director, Meghalaya Aids Control Society, and the Meghalaya State Network of Positive People for coming up with the project. He also stated that the total cost of the project is Rs. 3.5 Lakh to 4 Lakh and it is arranged through the Corporate Social Responsibility and he informed that the ART treatment is now available at Khliehriat CHC.

Shri. Barry. L. Kharmalki, Project Assistant, AHANA briefed about the Lost to Follow Up Tracking Tracing Drive Finding the Missing Links Project, which is a 3 months project to track and find the 241 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the district who are out of treatment to reinitiate them back into treatment that will help in reducing the spread of HIV infection in the district and decrease the risk of opportunistic infection and illness. He also said that the outcome of the drive is to expand positive prevention activities by testing immediate family members, spouse, and children, linkage of spouse and children if detected positive, linkage to social protection schemes and ensure the PLHIV well-being and reduce mortality among PLHIV. The Project Assistant, AHANA also informed that there will be 3 tracers who will be trained by the MSNP+, so as to also ensure that confidentiality of the people living with HIV is maintained.