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Mumbai to get new CD4 machines for HIV patients

The new facilities will be available at five antiretroviral treatment (ART) centres at Kandivali, Goregaon, Mulund, Ghatkopar and Govandi, which has the highest number of HIV patients

Mumbai to get new CD4 machines for HIV patients
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Patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will no longer have to wait for their regular tests, as Mumbai’s five antiretroviral treatment (ART) centres will soon have new machines. These machines are crucial for HIV patients as it monitors their CD4 count which indicates the immunity level of patients and it also counts the number of T-cells that offer immunity against infections.

Mumbai already has four such machines but patients have to wait for almost two months to get their test results.

Officials from Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) said the new facilities will be available at five antiretroviral treatment (ART) centers at Kandivali, Goregaon, Mulund, Ghatkopar, and Govandi, which has the highest number of HIV patients. The facilities were inaugurated on March 16.

Dr. Srikala Acharya, director, MDACS, told Hindustan Times,

The CD4 test facility was previously available only at the four major medical colleges- KEM, JJ, Sion and Nair, so they had a high workload. Now, with these new machines at the ART centers, the patients will not have to travel a lot.”

The machines were procured by the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), using grants from the Global Fund. Nearly, there are 36,501 HIV patients in the city and every HIV patient needs to undergo a CD4 test every six months.

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