“Dr. Hotoka Hesso, Senior Medical Officer at District Hospital Dimapur, Addresses HIV Trends and Treatment Options”
Dr. Hotoka Hesso, the Senior Medical Officer of the Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) Plus Centre at District Hospital Dimapur, has shed light on the current scenario of HIV in Dimapur. Despite an average of 90 to 100 new HIV cases being detected each month, Dr. Hesso emphasized that HIV is no longer a dreaded disease but rather a chronic manageable infectious disease.
During a treatment literacy workshop at District Hospital Dimapur, Dr. Hesso highlighted the fact that people living with HIV can lead normal and healthy lives with regular check-ups, particularly to monitor viral load. The availability of free ART medicines has contributed to the improvement in HIV treatment.
Dr. Hesso also expressed concern about the HIV/AIDS situation in Dimapur, even though there has been a decrease in AIDS-related deaths over the past decade. He pointed out that 90 percent of new infections are transmitted through sexual routes, with drug-related infections steadily increasing to 6 percent. He noted that while AIDS-related deaths have decreased, there has been an increase in non-AIDS related deaths, which include conditions like cancer, liver disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.