By Our Reporter
Pharmaceutical manufacturer, Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited (CiplaQCIL) has launched an online initiative to raise HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention as well as eradicate the stigma associated with it.
Dubbed Live2Love HIV campaign, it is designed to meet the realities of the digital age and features a mobile game which serves to entertain as well as educate.
According to CiplaQCIL CEO, Ajay Kumar Pal, the company has a well-established history of ensuring equitable access to life-saving medication, having made its revolutionary 3-in-1 fixed dose combination AIDS treatment available at less than $1 per day in 2001, in comparison to the prevailing $12 000 per patient per year, thereby saving millions of lives worldwide.
“Building on this legacy of improved and equitable access to healthcare, our goalposts have now shifted to meet the realities of the digital age. Ensuring equitable access to information is just as important, which is the foundation on which the Live2Love HIV campaign and mobile game are built.” Ajay Kumar Pal said.
“The mobile game is one part of a bigger conversation that needs to be happening more candidly. As we reflect on the HIV epidemic, it’s crucial that we address misconceptions and stigma, and support those living with HIV in living long, fulfilling lives,” he added.
Uganda currently has a total of 1.4 people living with HIV of which 480,000 are men, 820,000 are females and 98,000 are children aged 0-14, according to the 2020 report from Uganda AIDS Commission. The same report states that there were 38,000 new infections in the year 2020.
Nonetheless, The AIDS Support Organisation reports that the HIV prevalence rate has been reduced to 6.2% while mother-to-child transmissions have dropped to below 2%, according to data from Baylor Uganda.
The reduction in new HIV infections is a result of several interventions including the traditional ABC (abstain, be faithful and use a condom), and the pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) which helps to protect people at risk of contracting HIV from sex or injection drug use.