CiplaQCIL is Leveraging Technology to Improve HIV Awareness

Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited (CiplaQCIL) is running a digital campaign to educate young people about HIV/AIDS, this website learnt about the initiative from a World AIDS Day news release.

According to the company chief executive Ajar Kumar Pal, they have found it necessary to leverage digital tools to reach young people through the Live2Love HIV drive.

“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," he said.

“The mobile game is one part of a bigger conversation that needs to be happening more candidly. As we approach World AIDS Day and 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.”

The game, which entertains as it educates, has been developed with the hope it will be an important aspect in supporting young people to stay safe as well as be aware of what do in case they are exposed. 

You can access it via HIVstopswithme.co.za.  

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 20201. 

As of today, the HIV prevalence rate, according to The AIDS Support Organisation, 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 a combination of hard work and patience, inspired by a number of stakeholders, of which CiplaQCIL is an active participant.

"Our innovations have been important in helping Ugandans to stay safe at different levels of exposure, whether it’s protecting themselves, protecting their partner or protecting their family," reads the release.

In addition to the traditional ABC (abstain, be faithful and use a condom), interventions such as the pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) also help to protect people at risk of contracting HIV from sex or injection drug use.

Adherence to antiretrovirals is also critical for the partner living with HIV as undetectable (HIV viral loads) equals untransmittable (U=U). Prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes also enable women living with HIV or at risk of contracting HIV to stop their infants from becoming infected.

Cipla have over the years played a fundamental role in ensuring equitable access to life-saving medication, having made its revolutionary 3-in1 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.