- Why in news
- On 20 March 2026, the Health Ministry, through NACO, held the 'Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala' in Delhi to speed up district-level HIV action in Haryana and Delhi.
- What it is
- The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is the body under the Union Health Ministry that leads India's HIV/AIDS control programme. It plans and guides prevention, testing, treatment and care through State AIDS Control Societies. The programme follows the global 95:95:95 targets for diagnosis, treatment and viral suppression.
- Priority districts
- 219 districts across India are identified as priority for intensified HIV/AIDS interventions. Of these, 11 are in Haryana and 7 in Delhi.
- 95:95:95 targets
- 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed are on sustained ART, and 95% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
- Global goal
- The initiative aligns with the global goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Don’t confuse with 95:95:95 vs 95:95:99: The global target is 95:95:95. India is now pushing for 95:95:99, raising the third target (viral suppression) to 99%.
Don’t confuse with NACO vs NHM: NACO runs the HIV/AIDS programme. The National Health Mission is a separate, broader health programme.
Why it matters
- District-level targeting focuses scarce resources on high-burden areas.
- Closing gaps in the testing-to-treatment cascade reduces transmission and deaths.
Problems
- Gaps in linking diagnosed people to treatment and retaining them, as in Delhi.
- Stigma and discrimination deter testing and adherence, especially among key populations.
Way forward
- Use district data for targeted outreach, early diagnosis and prompt ART initiation.
- Strengthen antenatal screening to eliminate mother-to-child transmission.
Put in your answer
Preventable transmission: Mother-to-child transmission is entirely preventable through timely testing, counselling and treatment.
- 2013Mains GS2 · Q15Identify health-related MDGs and discuss government success in achieving them.
- 2018Mains GS2 · Q7Explain community-level healthcare intervention as prerequisite for Health for All.
- 2024Mains GS2 · Q17Suggest State measures to extend grassroots public healthcare reach amid marketisation.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Workshop release, but the HIV response, 95:95:95 targets and NACO are a lasting health topic with few fresh facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.