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The number of new HIV cases has dipped by 50 percent in the past 10 years, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Friday. From April 2002 to March 2003, 16,598 people were tested for HIV. Out of them, 393 or 2.36 per cent were HIV infected. During April 2012 to March 2013, 78,785 people were tested, of which 937, or 1.19 percent, were infected, said a statement quoting Dikshit.
She hailed the efforts of Delhi State Aids Control Society. Meanwhile there were protests yesterday at the Delhi office of NACO protesting the shortage of CD4 Count Reagent a vital test which is necessary to find out the CD4 levels which in turn is the deciding factor for whether an HIV positive patients needs to start anti-retroviral treatment.
What are CD4 T cells?
CD4 T cells or CD4+ T helper cells (as they re properly known) are white blood cells that are a vital part of the human immune system. They are called helper cells because their main purpose is to send signals to other types of immune cells including the CD8 killer cells which then search and destroy the infection or virus. In HIV patients, the CD4 cells level goes down, making the body vulnerable to a wide range of infections that it would be able to fight normally. (Read: Together we can end HIV/AIDS)
HIV causes a progressive reduction in the number of CD4 cells. The count of CD4 cells also forms an important part of diagnosis for HIV treatment. Normal values are anywhere between 500-1200 cells/mm3. Treatment starts when the level falls under 350 cells/mm3. A person is considered to have AIDS when his or her CD4 count falls under 200 cells/mm3. (Read: Testing for HIV)
Why is the CD4 Count Reagent important?
The CD4 Count Reagent is used to measure the levels of CD4 T cells in HIV positive people and when the CD4 T cell count falls below a certain level (350 cells per mm) patients are required to start taking anti-HIV drugs. Without finding out CD4 levels, it s impossible to start treatment which is extremely dangerous for HIV positive patients.
As we can see, the CD Count Reagent forms one of the vital cogs in the War on AIDS and NACO needs to provide it before the scarcity starts hitting the thousands suffering from the disease.