AIDS In India

04-05-2005, 10:45 AM

Maximum concentration is in NE, yes majority of them are Christian. Other heavy concentrated area is TN and Goa coastal region. Truck drivers, armed forces, sex workers and their families are very much affected, which means HIV/AID is now very much in remote villages all over India. Among Elites, fashion designers, rich lalas and civil servants, till now this group is able to hide it. Yet to see religious based infection data online.

04-09-2005, 09:35 AM

I have given talks on HIV ...Clinical and Public Health. I have a nice power point presentation .... If anyone can help me I can have it here.. for people to view it.. I can even consider adding voice to it if people are intersted in an explanation..

The offical website of National AIDS Control Organization is

www.naco.nic.in

It has a lot figure and facts..

04-09-2005, 11:03 AM

Manju

That would be a great thing to have.

Please send me a PM or email.

Regards..

04-18-2005, 10:01 AM

Manju,

Please check your gmail account.

Thanks.

04-20-2005, 01:08 AM

India has overtaken South Africa for biggest HIV tollQUOTESouth Africa had the highest total of any country in the world, with an estimated 5.3 million infected adults and children in a range of 4.5 to 6.2 million.

India's total was put at 5.1 million, but the range estimate was far wider -- 2.5 to 8.5 million -- to reflect the many unknowns about the state of the pandemic there.

"India has to wake up and India has to take this very, very seriously," Feachem said on Tuesday. Without action, "millions and millions and millions of Indians are going to die."

He added, "the epidemic will grow faster, much faster, in (India's) Hindu population than in Moslems," as circumcision is an acknowleged protective factor against the AIDS virus.

The biggest form of transmission in India is from heterosexual intercourse with prostitutes. In addition to widespread ignorance and deep-rooted stigma abut AIDS, the country also has relatively high prices for anti-HIV drugs, said Feachem.

04-22-2005, 10:24 PM

'More jawans killed by AIDS than bullets' 
QUOTE"The time has come to wake up with HIV infection among our troops assuming serious dimensions. Now we find more soldiers dying to HIV-AIDS than to bullets fired by militants," Lieutenant General Bhopinder Singh, Director General of Assam Rifles, said in Shillong.

"We have a challenge at hand and we need to tackle it sensitively," he told AFP at the force headquarters.

The Assam Rifles is a premier paramilitary force of 55,000 troops deployed in the rugged jungles of the northeast against some 30 guerrilla groups waging insurgencies for independent homelands or greater autonomy.

The first HIV-positive Assam Rifles soldier was detected in 1992. Since then, 32 Assam Rifles soldiers have died of AIDS and 180 more are in serious condition at two treatment camps in the region

QUOTEThe northeast has been declared as one of the country's high-risk zones with close to 100,000 people infected with HIV

04-22-2005, 10:52 PM

2. 'India in forefront of AIDS vaccine search'
The Times of India, April 20, 2005.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...082822.cms

3. Companies join hands to fight AIDS
Business Standard, April 20, 2005.
http://www.business-standard.com/common/st...N&autono=186643

4. AIDS epidemic spreading rapidly in India
NDTV.com, April 20, 2005.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?...=1&category=Nat

ional

5. First trial phase of AIDS vaccine complete: ICMR
Deccan Herald, April 20, 2005.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/a...39522005420.asp

6. India's AIDS antidote in market by 2010
Express India, April 20, 2005.
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=45214

7. India ; India 'tops global HIV list at 8.5m'
Keralanext.com, April 20, 2005.
http://www.keralanext.com/news/indexread.asp?id=185164

8. India rejects HIV infection claim
BBC, April 20, 2005.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4463899.stm

9. Trial phase of AIDS vaccine complete
The Navahind Times, April 20, 2005.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php?pa...&Story_ID=04217

10. A bacteria in humans may protect against HIV infection
123bharath.com, April 21, 2005.
http://www.123bharath.com/health-india-new...llnews&id=46636

11. AIDS numbers game again: Global donor says India tops chart
New Indian Express, April 21, 2005.
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?I...Stories&Topic=0

12. Phase-I of AIDS vaccine safe
Express India, April 21, 2005.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory...sid=125801

13. 'See how healthy I am'
The Times of India, April 21, 2005.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...083903.cms

14. ``India seized of AIDS problem''
The Hindu, April 21, 2005.
http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/21/stories/...481400.htm

04-27-2005, 09:30 AM

Church denies burial rites to AIDS-hit! ! <img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /> QUOTE"Local churches in Kerala are denying customary burial to AIDS victims," said Sister Dolores, founder of the Cancer and AIDS Shelter Society (CASS). "In Kottayam itself, where there has been a spurt of AIDS cases in the last three years, once the church comes to know AIDS is the cause of death, the body is not allowed into the cemetery," she told TOI.

"Priests don't visit my house for customary prayers. They visit my neighbours, but they don't come to my house. When my child asks me why, I have no answer," says a 30-year-old woman whose husband died recently of AIDS. She preferred to remain unnamed. Even when they are alive, AIDS patients face social ostracism.

05-05-2005, 09:57 AM

Fighting complacency over AIDS in India

05-25-2005, 09:47 PM

Pioneer
QUOTEHIV cases down by half 
Yoga Rangatia/ New Delhi
For the first time in two decades, the number of new cases of HIV infection has registered a sharp decline in India. Fresh cases of HIV infection have come down by half in 2004 as compared to the previous year, a sign that the galloping rate at which HIV was spreading in India is now slowing down.

The deceleration follows sustained campaigning to spread awareness among the people about HIV and AIDS and methods of preventing infection by this deadly disease.

According to National AIDS Control Organisation HIV sentinel surveillance estimates, 28,000 people could have contacted the infection in 2003-04. This is about half of the new cases of HIV estimated in the previous year after the peak of 61,000 new infections in 2002. The total number of people infected in the country are estimated to be 5.134 million.

The figure released by the Government on Wednesday also counters propaganda by international donors and NGOs that India is much worse off as compared to South Africa, which has the world's highest number of HIV positive people.

The latest to kick up the controversy over Indian estimates was Dr. Richard Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, who said that in terms of number of HIV infections, India had overtaken South Africa. At 5.13 million HIV infections, Indian numbers are less than that of South Africa, where an estimated number of 5.3 million people are infected. Earlier, actor-turned-HIV/AIDS activist Richard Gere had cast doubts on the Indian Government's HIV/AIDS numbers.

The Government in its rebuttal has said that the Indian statistical model to estimate HIV positive follows the guidelines laid down by UNAIDS and World Health Organization. An independent expert group on HIV estimates, which includes international experts has further validated the data.

"We have validated and re-validated our data, and are confident that there is lesser prevalence of HIV/AIDS in India than South Africa. India remains a low-prevalent country," Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss contested Dr Feachem's claim. Officials point out that the comparison between the two countries is untenable.

"In South Africa, 21.5 per cent of the population are HIV positive, while in India it is less than one per cent of the population. The comparison is misleading and counter-productive," asserted NACO chief Dr SY Quraishi. The World Health Organization, too, has thrown its lot with India on the AIDS statistics controversy. "India follows guidelines laid by the WHO, and data is validated by an independent expert group. Why do you (Indian Press) give importance to statements (of people) who have no evidence," asked Dr Salim J Habayeb, WHO representative to India. Dr Feachem later clarified in a letter to the Health Ministry that his comment is based on his "personal belief."

The turnabout is thanks to Tamil Nadu's decade-long efforts in arresting the trend of HIV prevalence, pushing it down to less than one per cent of the population in the last three years. In Tamil Nadu, the number of positive people in general population dropped from 1.25 per cent in 2002 to 0.75 per cent in 2003 and 0.5 per cent in 2004. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka are yet to show results.

The 2004 round was conducted in 478 sentinel sites all over the country, out of which 258 sites were antenatal clinics, 151 clinics treating sexually-transmitted disease, 19 sites captured HIV infection among injecting drug users, 11 sites among homosexual men and 39 sites among female sex workers. The Institute for Research in Medical Statistics and National Institute of Health and Family Welfare sifted through the data, while an expert group in HIV estimates validated the final estimates.

The Health Ministry has assessed that states of Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Uttranchal are highly vulnerable to the epidemic considering their population, migration and poor health infrastructure.

I don't trust Govt figures. Not much is done to control HIV/AID in India and they are saying sudden drop in new cases. How this is possible?

05-26-2005, 09:39 PM

Clinton lauds India Aids campaign QUOTE"India has gone from being the world's number one worry to being the world's number one marvel," he said in the Indian capital Delhi.

His comments come a day after India said it has seen a dramatic slowdown in the number of new infections.

This should be 10th wonder, doing nothing will slowdown AID/HIV.

08-05-2005, 01:46 AM

<img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /> [FONT=Geneva][SIZE=7][COLOR=green]
Circumcision:It suits Hindus also
KOUNTEYA SINHA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ THURSDAY, AUGUST 04, 2005 11:57:10 PM ]

Surf 'N' Earn -Sign innow

NEW DELHI: Fear of raking up a communal controversy has made the health ministry keep mum about an international study which suggests that circumcised men are less prone to HIV infection.

While the study - which says HIV rates among those not circumcised are two to eight times higher than in those groups which practice circumcision - may have a significant bearing on the country's AIDS-prevention programme, government seems to be keeping a distance from it lest it is accused of 'appeasement.'

Conducted by France's National AIDS Research Agency in South Africa between 2002 and 2005, findings of the study were made public on July 26 at the 3rd International AIDS conference on HIV treatment in Rio de Janeiro.

Indian officials, who were present at the conference, agree that circumcision is a hygienic practice but they are loath to be seen as endorsing it because of its strong association with Muslims.

Speaking to TOI, a senior official conceded as much: "Over 25% of people in Europe go for circumcision for protection against AIDS. But in India, we cannot encourage it because of its association with Muslims. Leave alone implementing it, even agreeing with the study would mean being attacked by Hindus. Then, we also don't want to make the bulk of the Muslim population feel that they can be safe with unprotected sex."

Ministry officials refer to the experience of Richard Feachem, executive director of Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS.

Recently, Feachem received thousands of hate mails when he made a statement in Paris, backed by a study, that he expected the epidemic to grow faster among Hindus because they didn't practise circumcision. One sharp reaction had come from BP Singhal of the BJP.

"This is obnoxious. We are not going to tolerate such remarks made against Hindus," Singhal had said in protest against Feachem's remark.

Even health minister A Ramadoss received ...

Continued...Next >>

**acharya** · 08-05-2005, 01:55 AM

ANother research study will come up soon which will also say that
no circumcision prevents AIDS

What will happen then.

These research studies have been done for several decades and there is no conclusive answer.

Sunder · 08-05-2005, 02:41 AM

Circumcision Not a Cure-all for AIDS

Circumcision may result in false belief that safe-sex practices are no longer necessary. The result could be a worsening of the incidence of HIV infection, especially for women.

A paper, read at a conference in Brazil, claims that male circumcision has the potential to reduce female-to-male transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The "Wall Street Journal" reported that the "Lancet," the pre-eminent medical journal in the world, refused to publish the paper for unknown reasons.

The researchers said circumcision might help in reducing HIV transmission women-to-men. What they don't say is that male circumcision doesn't protect women from HIV. An infected circumcised man having sex with a woman is just as likely to spread the disease as an intact man. The same goes for any male partner with whom he has sex. The problem is that men and women may erroneously believe that circumcision is like a condom, which then leads to unprotected sex and transmission of the virus.

Robert Bailey, the scientist who sponsored the study, has been promoting circumcision to prevent HIV transmission since 1989. The world medical community thus far has not accepted his published studies. The present study, which was conducted in South Africa, is his latest effort. In such cases, one must be aware of possible researcher bias.

UNAIDS has cautioned against circumcision. 

If circumcision were promoted as a way of preventing HIV infection, people might abandon other safe sex practices, such as condom use. This risk is far from negligible - already, rumors abound in some communities that circumcision acts as a "natural condom. A sex worker interviewed in the city of Kisumu in Kenya summed up this misconception, saying, "I can sleep with circumcised men without a condom because they don't carry a lot of dirt on their penis." While circumcision may reduce the likelihood of HIV infection, it does not eliminate it. In one study in South Africa, for example, two out of five circumcised men were infected with HIV, compared with three out of five uncircumcised men. Relying on circumcision for protection is, in these circumstances, like playing Russian roulette with two bullets in a (five-shot) revolver rather than three.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said they were concerned that demand for circumcision, as a result of misinterpreting this study, may encourage healers and witch-doctors, which could boost the risk of HIV infection rather than prevent it due to using contaminated instruments. They also fear a false security from having been circumcised, and reduced sensitivity in the penis may cause an increase in risky, sexual behavior and a decline in condom use leading to increased transmission of the virus.

Circumcision itself is believed to be a vector for transmission of HIV in Africa due to the unsanitary condition of African hospitals, clinics, and traditional circumcisors.

Many South African tribes, such as the Xhosa, practice male circumcision as a cultural ritual, yet South Africa has an extremely high incidence of HIV-positive males. Male circumcision apparently has not worked in South Africa. Recently, authorities in Eastern Cape Province arrested a ritual circumciser who was circumcising numerous youths with the same non-sterile knife.

Circumcision is a radical operation that amputates significant erogenous tissue from the penis. Many people call forced or coerced circumcisions an assault and male genital mutilation.

Men must be warned of loss of sensation - resulting in decreased erectile power, difficulty in ejaculating, and decreased sexual satisfaction, before consent for the surgical amputation is obtained.

Two similar studies have not yet been published. Bailey's present study has not yet been peer-reviewed. The three studies must be carefully reviewed before a determination of the value of circumcision in preventing female-to-male HIV transmission, and even then, legal and ethical issues about self-determination must be addressed before advocating the procedure.

Even if the studies prove true and accurate, Africa cannot afford to circumcise all its males. A safe circumcision costs $15, compared to the already-proven methods for stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, education and condom use, which cost $1.

Circumcision has many risks, including infection, penile loss, hemorrhage, hypovolemic shock, and death. The claimed benefit must be balanced against these very real risks.

George Hill
Doctors Opposing Circumcision
iconbuster@earthlink.net
225-383-8067
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org

09-25-2005, 09:55 PM

HIV test for military recruits: KalamQUOTESHILLONG: After the deaths of some 200 soldiers due to AIDS in the past two years, President APJ Abdul Kalam has said that all new recruits to the armed forces would be tested for the HIV virus.

5.134 million people were estimated to be infected with the HIV virus in 2004 in India, second only to South Africa which has the world's highest HIV/AIDS cases
......
Government records show that more than 300 soldiers are currently infected with the HIV virus. HIV testing could start in October according to sources.

11-21-2005, 08:30 AM

India's HIV cases higher than official numbers QUOTE India, which has 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS -- second only to South Africa -- announced earlier this year that new infections had fallen dramatically to 28,000 in 2004 from 520,000 in 2003, sparking disbelief among voluntary groups.

Peter Piot, the executive director ofÂ Â Â UNAIDS, told Reuters he did not believe that India could have witnessed such a drop.

"India having only 28,000 new infections is plainly impossible," Piot said in an interview late on Saturday.

He said some districts across the country with populations of several million had about four percent or more adults infected and a 400 percent fall in 2004 would be a "miracle."

"There are a number of states where reporting of cases is weak," Piot said in Guwahati, the main city of India's remote northeast, during a visit to push authorities in the region to do more to fight AIDS.

Indian babus are very good in fudging data. No surprise here.

12-01-2005, 10:24 PM

QUOTEAfter horoscope, premarital AIDS test 
Pioneer.com
Sonia Sarkar/ New Delhi
This marriage season, apart from horoscope match, young couples are also looking for perfect health match before they enjoy the marital bliss.

With five million Indians suffering from the deadly AIDS and premarital sex the in-thing, pre-marital HIV-AIDS test has also become a must these days. Keeping in mind the social stigma attached to it, many diagnostic centres offer doorstep service.

Meet Neetu Srivastava, a PR consultant who tied the nuptial knot with Anil Prasad, a software engineer on November 23. Much to the embarrassment of her conservative parents, Neetu asked Anil to go for an HIV-AIDS test before marriage. "With the Westernised lifestyle of today, premarital sex is not uncommon. So, I was very clear that the person, whom I marry, should get the HIV-AIDS tests done. For Anil's satisfaction, even I went for the same test. After this, we will at least live a tension free and happy life," said Neetu.

Even the doctors endorse such awareness among the youth. "The HIV infection gets transmitted mainly through unprotected sex and injecting drug use. A significant proportion of new infections are occurring in women who are married and get infected by husbands who went for unsafe sex.

This trend shows that newly married women are at a greater risk of getting affected from their partners, which is later transmitted to their newborn. Under these circumstances, premarital tests for HIV/AIDS infection should be made mandatory for couples to lead a happy married life," said Dr Anoop Misra, Professor at the Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

According to World Health Organisation (WHO) reports, worldwide, only one in ten people having AIDS has been tested and knows that he or she is infected. India has been identified as the nation with the second highest number of HIV/AIDS infected population in the world next to South Africa. More than five million people in the country are affected with the deadly virus and a majority requiring antiretroviral therapy.

Many diagnostic centres are offering premarital health check-ups at discounted prices for to be married couples. " It's not exactly marriage season discount. We offer a package of all the tests at Rs 1,000. The test comprise screening for HIV spot, Blood Grouping (ABO & Rh Typing), CBC, A Rh (+ve) are conducted besides the Rh, HbsAg a screening for Hepatitis B, VDRL and Hb Electrophoresis, needed to detect thallasaemia traits. All in all, this is a complete package to ensure the person is free of HIV," said Ameera Shah, the vice-president Metropolis Health Services. Similar packages are being offered by other leading path lab chains.Â


Its rare but not bad. They should perform more test in rural area.

04-02-2006, 07:18 AM

QUOTEArmy entrants to face HIV screening 
Mohit Kandhari / JammuÂ -Pioneer.com
After introducing a surveillance programme to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Armed forces, the Indian Army looks all set to insulate jawans from the scourge of HIV/AIDS with the introduction of pre-recruitment and pre-induction screening for fresh entrants in the Army.

Talking to reporters at the Military hospital on Saturday, Armed Forces Medical Services director general, Vice Admiral Vijay K Singh, said, "A proposal has already been floated on behalf of three wings of the Armed forces to make HIV/AIDS screening mandatory for fresh recruits to achieve zero per cent incidence rate in Army."

He said soon after the Indian Government gives its final nod, the screening facilities set up across different locations in military hospitals across India would start functioning.

Referring to the stigma attached with the virus, he said, "Contracting HIV/AIDS is not a crime. Not reporting it, is a crime." He also urged the jawans not to hide any type of information related to early symptoms of the disease from the medical officers during routine checkups. He said though the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Indian Army is a mere 0.028 per cent as compared to the national average of 0.9 per cent but efforts are being made to reduce this even further so as to achieve zero incidence.

Pointing out that the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the US armed forces was 0.026 per cent, Singh said this was due to compulsory screening.

"We are spreading the message that if treatment is started within 24 hours, 100 per cent success is guaranteed. During the last two years, medical officers from the battalion level upwards have been regularly giving lectures to the troops and the film Dastak has also beeb screened for them emphasising on the hazards of unprotected sex. "We are even providing free condoms to soldiers," Singh added

04-06-2006, 09:41 PM

72,000 new HIV cases, high-risk group is problemQUOTENEW DELHI, APRIL 5: According to the latest National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) figures, the country has reported 72,000 new infections last year compared to 28,000 in 2004.

The new figures (that will be released in a week) take the total HIV estimate in the country to over 5.2 million.

Out of the infected 60.3 per cent are male, 38.4 per cent female and 0.96 per cent children. According to NACO, a majority of the infections are in the 22-45 age group.

...........
While Andhra Pradesh still leads the table with 2 per cent prevalence in general population, the figure has dipped from 2.25 in 2004.

Nagaland is second with 1.63 per cent prevalence, an increase from 1.43 in 2004. Karnataka (1.25), Maharashtra (1.25), Manipur (1.25) and Goa (1.13) have crossed the one-per cent epidemic mark. Manipur, however, has shown a decreaseâfrom 1.50 per cent in 2004 to 1.25.

The problem, however, seems to be the high-risk groups attending the STD clinics. In Andhra, the figure is up from 16.40 per cent in 2004 to 22.80 per cent in 2005 (see box).

Other highlights of the report.

â¢ NACO has marked Mizoram (0.88 per cent), Delhi (0.25), Rajasthan (0.13), Orissa (0.25) and West Bengal (0.66), as the slow and silent pockets of the epidemic and the states to watch out for.

â¢ The other areas of concern are states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where lack of data poses a problemâboth states have shown zero per cent prevalence this year. Zero prevalence has been reported from 11 states this year. NACO, however, has decided to replace zero prevalence with 0.17 in these states

Why AP number is so high?

04-23-2006, 08:34 PM

5.21 mn Indian adults HIV affected: ReportQUOTEAbout 5.21 million Indian adults are estimated to be living with HIV infection, say the the latest official estimates.

"According to the estimates in 2005, 5.206 million adult people are HIV positive," Director General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) K Sujatha Rao said.

The adult prevalence is still less than one per cent, at 0.91 per cent in the country, she said.

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