********************************************************** SAATHII Electronic News Letter HIV NEWS FROM INDIA SOURCE: www.spiritindia.com, www.organiser.org, The Deccan Herald, www.medindia.net, The Hindustan Times, The Reuters India, The Economic Times, The Herald Publications, www.uk.reuters.com and www.cybernoon.com Posted on: 07/08/2007 COMPILED BY: Randhir Kumar, B. Vilasini, and L. Ramakrishnan SAATHII Chennai office. Note: this compilation contains news items about HIV/AIDS published in the Indian media, as well as articles relevant to HIV/AIDS in India published internationally. Articles in this and previous newsletters may also be accessed at http://www.saathii.org/orc/elibrary =============================================================== 1.India needs 203 bn dollar by 2012 for healthcare.(New Delhi) www.spiritindia.com, July 23, 2007. http://www.spiritindia.com/health-care-news-articles-11645.html 2.National convention against sex education in Delhi "Don't impose...(New Delhi) www.organiser.org, July 24, 2007. http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=194&page=8 3.Prevent spread of HIV, gain in business: WB to India.(New Delhi) The Deccan Herald, July 25, 2007. http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul252007/national2007072515026.asp?section=updatenews 4.AIDS Fight to Be Put on Track, Literally.(New Delhi) www.medindia.net, July 27, 2007. http://www.medindia.net/news/AIDS-Fight-to-Be-Put-on-Track-Literally-24104-1.htm 5.Sex education begins at home.(New Delhi) The Hindustan Times, July 29, 2007. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=13798d51-71f8-4e50-84ac-6f669b7ffc16 6.HIV-positive prisoner threatens Tihar jailers.(Mumbai) The Reuters India, July 31, 2007. http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-07-30T121204Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-287264-1.xml 7.UN cries wolf about AIDS.(New Delhi) The Economic Times, July 31, 2007. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Guest_Writer/UN_cries_wolf_about_AIDS/articleshow/2245417.cms 8.Nearly 70000 Children in India are Suffering from AIDS.(New Delhi) www.medindia.net, August 1, 2007. http://www.medindia.net/news/Nearly-70000-Children-in-India-are-Suffering-from-AIDS-24377-1.htm 9.Is Goa sitting on a drug epidemic?.(Panji) The Herald Publications, August 1, 2007. http://oheraldo.in/node/27072 10.HIV survey reveals Nepal girls' plight in India.(Hong Kong) www.uk.reuters.com, August 1, 2007. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKPEK28767320070731 11.Govt. turns the spotlight on children with HIV/AIDS. www.cybernoon.com, August 2, 2007. http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=August2007_inbombay_standard13679 =============================================================== 1. India needs 203 bn dollar by 2012 for healthcare.(New Delhi) www.spiritindia.com, July 23, 2007. http://www.spiritindia.com/health-care-news-articles-11645.html New Delhi: With a view to improve access to healthcare services in India, which would require huge funds in the next five years, the chamber has proposed five models of public-private partnership (PPP). The models proposed are PPP options for primary and secondary healthcare, a network of diagnostic centres, capital expenditure sharing, equity sharing and premises on lease model. "These partnership models would have to run in tandem with attractive fiscal incentives and meaningful regulation if the government mission of 'Health for All' is to be achieved and the bed to thousand ratio has to be raised to five beds by 2012 from the current level of 1.3. In a detailed presentation to the government, the chamber has also quantified a shortage of 4,53,785 doctors, 1,290,174 nurses and a huge number of paramedics by 2012. To attract private sector investment in healthcare sector, FICCI has recommended tax holiday for 10 years for building new facilities and upgrading old ones, extension of exemption to companies creating training in the medical area, industrial status to the sector and soft loans from public sector banks and reduction in custom duty on identified medical equipment. FICCI has also called for income tax relief of 15 per cent subject to review after a five-year period and enforcement of quality in government hospitals, laboratories and blood banks. =============================================================== 2. National convention against sex education in Delhi "Don't impose ...(New Delhi) www.organiser.org, July 24, 2007. http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=194&page=8 New Delhi: National convention against sex education in Delhi. Justice R.C. Lahoti said India has not given HIV/AIDS to the world. If the world had followed the Indian tradition of one wife or one husband, this disease would not have developed at all. He said 64.8 per cent teenage girls in Britain were pregnant in 1998 and it is increasing at a rate of four per cent every year. It is 83 per cent in America. Former Union HRD Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi viewed that sex education would transform the student-teacher relation into that of a man and a woman and it appears the government wants to import the western culture of sexual relations between students and teachers into India. He said introduction of sex education is what multinationals did to create the desire for sex among teenagers to sell their products. Top educationists, scholars, senior politicians, social activists and reputed intellectuals including former Chief Justice of India Shri R.C. Lahoti and representatives from Jains, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians and several other communities have strongly warned the Union HRD Ministry and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) not to introduce sex education in the name of Adolescent Education Programme at all. Speaking at a national convention held in New Delhi on July 14 under the chairmanship of noted Jain saint Shri Vijayratnasunder Surishwar, they along with the representatives of 26 other organisations warned the government not to play with the fire of sex education under the influence of some global conspirators. "We shall take all steps including demonstration against NCERT and CBSE, countrywide protest meetings and mass awareness programmes, raising the issue in Parliament and filing cases in the court, to stop the government from taking such a disastrous and suicidal step," the convention unanimously declared. Speaking at the convention, Shri Surishwar said if the sex education was introduced in any form, episodes like Nithari village would repeat in every school and locality of the country. He said just withdrawing students from the schools where sex education is being introduced is not enough, we need to firmly ensure that it is not introduced at all in any school. "It is claimed that the objective of imparting sex education is protecting the students from HIV/ AIDS, but the syllabus prepared for it is so much indecent, damaging and obscene that it will increase the disease on a much higher speed. We don't want that abortion centres should be opened in schools like that in Britain, morning pills need to be given to tennage girls like that in France, increase in number of unmarried mothers like that in America and teachers sexually exploit their students like that in New Zealand," he said. He added that the number of AIDS patients has increased because of killing the traditional Indian culture. The Jain saint has persuaded the governments of nine states including Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to ban sex education in their respective states. Former Union HRD Minister Dr Murli Manohar Joshi viewed that sex education would transform the student-teacher relations into that of a man and a woman and it appears the government wants to import the western culture of sexual relations between students and teachers into India. He said introduction of sex education is what multinationals did to create the desire for sex among teenagers to sell their products. It is not sex education but education to sell condoms, he said adding that the MNCs are behind the inflated figures of HIV/AIDS, which have now suddenly fell down from 57 lakh to 24 lakh in India. He said there is no need for separate curriculum on sex education because there is enough knowledge on sex and reproductive body functions in biology taught in schools. "It will adversely damage the rich family system of Bharat. It is also a conspiracy to import the single-parent system of the west. There are about 40 per cent such parents in America alone where it became a major issue during the Presidential polls. In fact our family system has preserved Bharat as Bharat. If it breaks, it will also take away morality and samskars with it," he added. The senior BJP leader exhorted the parents to withdraw their wards from CBSE schools where sex education is being taught. Justice (retd.) R.C. Lahoti said India has not given HIV/AIDS to the world. If the world had followed the Indian tradition of one wife or one husband, this disease would not have developed at all. He said 64.8 per cent teenage girls in Britain were pregnant in 1998 and it is increasing at a rate of four per cent every year. It is 83 per cent in America and in Canada it has assumed a very alarming proportion. "Now abortion centers are being opened in schools also there. Similarly, after promoting relations between gays and lesbians now sex between same blood relations is also being advocated there. The family and marriage systems have totally collapsed in the west. A number of male and female teachers are being pushed behind the bars on the charges of sexually exploiting their students. Do we want this to happen in India also? There is a need to nip it in the bud," he said. NDA convener George Fernandes stressed the need for a nationwide protest against the introduction of sex education. Shri Dina Nath Batra, convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, said the Samiti would not allow the introduction of sex education at all. Shri O.P. Gupta, former Indian ambassador, said after introduction of sex education many parents may file cases against teachers under IPC for outraging the modesty of their girls. It can also cause religious and sectarian conflicts. Shri Rajendra Patani, Shiv Sena MLA from Mumbai, said it would not only damage the marriage system but will also increase the market of condoms even among teenagers. Smt. Pratibha Naithani, Principal of St. Xavier's School, Mumbai, through a PowerPoint presentation explained the objectionable passage from the Adolescent Education Programme prepared by HRD Ministry. Dr Kapil Kapoor, former vice chancellor of JNU, described those who have planned and designed this programme as deshdrohi (traitors) and a case of treason should be initiated against them. Shri Intizar Naeem, assistant secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, said the countries where girls below the age of 12 years become pregnant could not be followed at all. He said it should be countered unitedly by all the countrymen. Dr Tara Singh, stressed the need for putting a check on cultural pollution being spread through newspapers and TV channels. Dr Thailma, representative of Archbishop, Mumbai, said the Adolescent Education Programme prepared by the government, concentrates mainly on condom, which scientifically does not give 100 per cent guarantee against HIV infection and unwanted pregnancy. Shri Purushottam Mulloli, convener of JACKINDIA, said the number of HIV/AIDS patients has suddenly come down from 57 lakh to 24 lakh in India because the conspiracy on the part of officials has successfully been exposed. =============================================================== 3. Prevent spread of HIV, gain in business: WB to India.(New Delhi) The Deccan Herald, July 25, 2007. http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Jul252007/national2007072515026.asp?section=updatenews New Delhi: Noting that a large number of employees of Indian industry are vulnerable to HIV, the World Bank has said the country's private sector stands to gain by supporting interventions aimed at preventing the virus from spreading at the workplace and in local communities. "As India emerges as a global economic power, it is important that Indian businesses pursue business practices and policies that are in the best interest of the community at large," Mariam Claeson, the World Bank's HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the South Asia Region said in a release. "Businesses have much to offer and to gain from early decisive action to prevent HIV and reduce the cost and social impact of AIDS," she added. The report "Corporate Responses to HIV/AIDS" says a large share of India's population, who are employees of Indian industry are vulnerable to HIV, and the disease affects primarily young and middle-aged adults during their peak productive years. It said AIDS has a direct impact on companies' profitability in hard hit countries. In the worst case scenario, the economic effects are observed in greater absenteeism and staff turnover, higher recruitment and training costs, and higher costs in medical care or insurance coverage, and retirement funds. "Even in countries with overall low HIV prevalence, such as India, the mere cost of treating people living with HIV and AIDS will be a huge economic and social burden to society. Early decisive action by companies, that reach a large share of the population at risk, pays off," it said. The Bank noted that only 70 companies in India were engaged in fighting HIV and AIDS. "Despite the important role that Indian businesses can play in the fight against AIDS and in tackling stigma associated with AIDS among its workforce, only a small share of the private sector - around 70 companies - are engaged in fighting HIV and AIDS". The report features five case studies illustrating approaches that private and public sector companies have used in HIV and AIDS interventions in India that include companies like Reliance Industries Limited, Transport Corporation of India, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, DCM Shriram Consolidated Limited, and Hindustan Lever Limited. "The case studies illustrate the importance of integrating multiple stakeholders in the fight against HIV and AIDS," Shanthi Divakaran, World Bank HIV/AIDS coordinator for the South Asia Finance and Private Sector unit, and one of the authors of the report has said. "They also highlight the growing investment of businesses in that fight - an investment that recognizes their vulnerability to the economic and social impact of the epidemic. And they show that businesses are ready to demonstrate their social responsibility by tackling HIV and AIDS through their networks," she added. According to the report, the heterogeneous nature of the epidemic in India suggests that there is no one strategy for Indian businesses in the fight against HIV. Businesses that employ groups most at risk, such as truckers, may need to implement targeted interventions. But all businesses can contribute to curbing the epidemic through a set of activities such as generating awareness about HIV and AIDS; reducing stigma; pursuing high-level advocacy efforts; creating a HIV policy for the workplace; and providing referrals for counseling and testing, the Bank said. The Bank said since the report was put together, the Government of India has announced a major revision of their estimates of HIV prevalence in the country. Estimates of adults in the age group 15-40 years infected with HIV are now 2-3 million, down from the 2005 estimate of 5.2 million adults infected. However, this does not argue for complacency. As the epidemic has evolved, rates among some groups practicing high risk behavior have approached 60 percent. "Sexual networks of these groups are known to be wide and inter-digitated, with the potential to spread HIV among the wider community. It is clear that the widest participation of the government and society-at-large is essential to deal with the problem effectively," it said. =============================================================== 4. AIDS Fight to Be Put on Track, Literally.(New Delhi) www.medindia.net, July 27, 2007. http://www.medindia.net/news/AIDS-Fight-to-Be-Put-on-Track-Literally-24104-1.htm New Delhi: AIDS Fight to Be Put on Track, Literally. The Federal Health Ministry in India is putting together plans for a train that would create awareness about AIDS as its winds its way through the length and breadth of thousands of villages across the country. The train would educate people about the killer disease and also offer them treatment, a top Health Ministry official said. The ministry plans to mobilise many youths in rural areas in the massive effort. The train, Red Ribbon Express, would visit around 60,000 villages in its long trek, it is planned. "Though, we have launched AIDS awareness campaign in villages earlier too, this is the first time that the ministry is embarking on this scale to take the battle against HIV to semi-urban and rural areas and in innovative like this," the official noted. With the number of AIDS cases touching nearly three million, Health Ministry believes that the train would give an impetus to the battle against AIDS by covering almost all states, including the most vulnerable states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, UP and Bihar. Mayank Agarwal, joint director, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) said, "We have identified 180 stations where the train would halt. Once the train stops, doctors and paramedics traveling by the train would fan out to villages and camp there for a days stretch, educating people about AIDS. The team will also try to enroll youths of the villages to become volunteers." he train will have seven air-conditioned coaches equipped with hi-tech gadgets. There will be counselling, examination and medicare, rest room, kitchen and an auditorium. It is expected to be flagged off in December from Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula. After completing its mission that could last at least a year, the Red Ribbon Express would return to where it started. The Federal government has launched a Rs 11,585 crore AIDS control program to fight the menace and says it wants to reverse the tide of HIV epidemic in the country by 2011. It is also working to enact a legislation to check discrimination against HIV positive persons. The first HIV positive case in the country was detected way back in the eighties in Chennai in southern India. Since then, AIDS is spreading its tentacles in every state. Nearly 40 million adults and children are infected worldwide. =============================================================== 5. Sex education begins at home.(New Delhi) The Hindustan Times, July 29, 2007. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=13798d51-71f8-4e50-84ac-6f669b7ffc16 New Delhi: Sex education begins at home. In December 2004, two teenagers showed us why introducing sex education in Indian schools is asking for trouble. The 'MMS kids' from Delhi must now be in college getting on with their lives. But recall how India responded to the 16-year-olds recording and distributing their infamous clip. All, barring none, turned away. The school suspended them, mobile phones were banned in the school and the eBay CEO was arrested. Remarkable responses that would be repeated today to the last detail in a similar situation, as we don't know any better. The 'sex' and the MMSes, of course, continue. The only purpose served was to hush the whole thing up, and if youngsters wanted to scream 'what the hell', they were simply not allowed to. In the ongoing debate about sex education in schools, we're still fighting over what to teach, when to teach, how to teach and who will teach. Both opponents and those for sex education have been bandying about such skewed arguments that there's hardly place for a sensible conclusion to be reached. Sadly, the arguments for sex education are even more hackneyed than those against it ? the opponents at least known for their dogmatic approach. The 'progressive' reasoning behind talking about sex is to make minors aware of AIDS so that they can be cautious about their sexual behaviour. It is an unfortunate generation for which sex and talking about sex will be associated with a disease and its entailing burden. A teenager's sexual behaviour is a result of his or her beliefs, which is a mix of individual values, family systems and the ability to engage with the media blitzkrieg and peer pressure. It is not a stand-alone raging war of hormones. The onus of sex education lies solely with the parents. Until they can get over their squeamishness about talking sex, there's little ground that will be covered to ensure responsible behaviour. And that is exactly what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meant when he said on December 1, 2005, that people should shed their inhibitions and openly address issues of sex, in order to ensure safe-sex practices. He's talking about 'us', the parents, and not just 'they', the teachers. Why does the responsibility lie at home and not with the school? For starters, every child starts asking questions at a different age. There's no single age at which all them can be bundled into a class where a psychologist will brandish the fear of HIV in the hope that kids will rush to wear chastity belts. Parents, more than anyone else, can help youngsters appreciate the emotional paradigm of sex, and the cost of early experimentation to their health and well-being. The point is that parents don't even have to pre-empt the 'talking about sex' -the queries start on their own. It's been said ad nauseam that the important bit is to answer truthfully. When the child encounters a blank wall at home is when he takes his curiosity elsewhere. So don't blame him for learning about sex from P. Diddy because his daddy was lost for words. Parents are also the best people to talk to their children about judging what's in the media and handling peer expectations. Ideally, NCERT publications on sex education should be sold in bookstores across the country and read by the parents of five-year-olds so they can 'talk' about the basics. The other reason that sex education must start at home is that teenage sexual behaviour is not driven only by 'science' or by fear of disease. When we debate the importance of sex education, we really mean guiding children to make choices, the consequences of which they believe that they can deal with. A morality compass is essential ? it's not just about health or society but also about a sense of worth. Home is where children make their value judgments and form their personality. And finally, whatever happened to love and heartbreak? In all the talk about parents being friends to their children, far too often parents end up being neither guardians nor pals ,guardians have to face some truths themselves. Grown-ups refuse to acknowledge that when they grimace over Rakhi Sawant's pelvic fury, kids do not necessarily love it either. But they are watching the adults squirm as much as they are watching her. It's a good time to talk about sexuality. Why are you uncomfortable? Why don't we let her do her thing? Different families, different standards. No book can help on this one. The school has its own role to play. It has the right environment to talk about AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, impact of early experimentation, etc, and more so because the sex educator is usually a psychologist or a counsellor. 'Regular' teachers are ill-equipped to take on the additional role. Moreover, teachers also need help. Ask any senior school teacher: flirtatious students are a growing problem. They scare teachers. Young men who open the door with a flourish are at once "cute and threatening". No teacher has been trained to handle that. In school, 'sex education' with all its overwhelming relevance is best left alone. The school is nothing but a ground for experimentation. It is at home that it must begin. The same way that teaching youngsters about religion does not lead to fundamentalism, telling them about sex does not lead to irresponsible behaviour. Not helping them to dispel myths, however, can only confuse them further. =============================================================== 6. HIV-positive prisoner threatens Tihar jailers.(Mumbai) The Reuters India, July 31, 2007. http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-07-30T121204Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-287264-1.xml Mumbai: HIV-positive prisoner threatens Tihar jailers An HIV-positive prisoner in New Delhi's Tihar jail has threatened to infect inmates and officials if he is not given special privileges, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported on Monday. The 24-year-old man -- charged with attempted murder, robbery and assault has been threatening to injure himself and touch jailers if they do not serve him better food, give him cigarettes and allow him more time outside his cell, it said. "This is his usual modus operandi. Officials fear going near him," said Sunil Gupta, an official at Tihar jail, Asia's largest prison. "I guess jail officials will now also have to be trained in handling cases where patients take advantage of their illness to act on their whims and fancies," he said. India has the third largest number of people in the world living with HIV after South Africa and Nigeria. Ignorance about the virus is common and many people believe it can be transmitted by sharing utensils and shaking hands. =============================================================== 7. UN cries wolf about AIDS.(New Delhi) The Economic Times, July 31, 2007. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Guest_Writer/UN_cries_wolf_about_AIDS/articleshow/2245417.cms New Delhi: UN cries wolf about AIDS. The UN agency coordinating global action against AIDS is wiping egg off its face after reluctantly admitting it had overestimated India's AIDS problem by more than half ? following numerous similar exaggerations world-wide. In 2005 the joint UN Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) claimed there were 5.7 million infected with HIV in India, giving India the highest number in th world, but the Indian National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) figures for 2006 released recently lowered the number to 2.5 million ? and UNAIDS has had to admit the new estimate is more accurate. Director Peter Piot, speaking to an AIDS conference in South Africa in June said UNAIDS's work "is further complicated by the mixed messages circulating around the world" and "denialist statements such as that UNAIDS overestimates the size of the epidemic..." The HIV overestimates made or accepted by UNAIDS in recent years total about 10 million, so who is the real denialist? Since 2001, UNAIDS has been forced to acknowledge drastically-reduced HIV prevalence estimates in over a dozen African, Caribbean and Asian countries, as a result of well-designed "population-based" HIV surveys (randomly selected samples of urban and rural populations). Kenya's HIV estimate was reduced from about 2.3 million to 1.1 million in 2003. Ethiopia's estimate was reduced from nearly two million to about half a million in 2005. Haiti's estimate of almost 250,000 HIV-infected adults in 2001 was cut to less than 100,000 in 2006. However, UNAIDS continued to defend its exaggerations up through 2006. UNAIDS were quick to respond to my charges, with spin rather than substance, referring vaguely to their "scientific approach" to calculating HIV numbers and the fact they collaborate with experts and governments. They refused to acknowledge that their approach was wrong or that the figures were bogus until the Indian revision exposed both. UNAIDS has simply glossed over the new estimates as being the result of better data and improved methods that are constantly evolving. Some AIDS activists say there is no harm in overestimating the current size and potential severity of the AIDS pandemic since such exaggerations have successfully provided AIDS programmes with unprecedented global priority and support. It needs to be recognised that UNAIDS was established in 1995 as an advocacy and coordinating agency that almost immediately turned over responsibility for AIDS programme funding and technical guidance to other international agencies and donors. However, UNAIDS did not turn over the responsibility for the estimation and projection of HIV/AIDS numbers. Since UNAIDS has declared itself to be primarily an advocacy agency, its objectivity in making or accepting high HIV estimates and projections needs to be questioned. UNAIDS, AIDS programme advocates and activists have certainly used inflated HIV numbers effectively in their aggressive struggle for an increasing share of the limited international health budget. This success, however, has come at the expense of other equally urgent public health needs. Regardless of UNAIDS's systematic overestimation of HIV numbers, the severity of the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa requires that AIDS programmes in this region continue to receive the highest public health priority. In India too, whether HIV prevalence is close to six million or "onl" 2.5 million, AIDS remains a serious public health problem in this populous country. A UNAIDS spokesperson has said that the new calculation for India reduces the world estimate to about 37.5 million people and that UNAIDS does not expect any more revisions from countries with major HIV and AIDS epidemics: "India was the last unknown." As of 2007, there are about 50 countries where HIV prevalence has been estimated to be more than 1% of the adult population. More than half of these countries have had their HIV prevalence estimate based on the flawed method that relied on "sentinel surveillance sampling" of mostly urban antenatal clinics. This was extrapolated to the total national adult population, although towns have the highest HIV prevalence. So how can UNAIDS be so confident that there will not be any more revisions from countries with major HIV epidemics? Inflating HIV numbers, whether unintentionally due to honest misunderstanding or intentionally by deliberate exaggeration, may work in the short term. In the long term, it will cause a backlash and the withdrawal of public and policymaker support when such inflated numbers and false alarms cannot be defended. If UNAIDS persists with ignoring inflated HIV estimates, it risks losing credibility and the support of the rich governments that fund the global fight against AIDS. Whatever the purpose, crying wolf is neither good science nor good politics. =============================================================== 8. Nearly 70000 Children in India are Suffering from AIDS.(New Delhi) www.medindia.net, August 1, 2007. http://www.medindia.net/news/Nearly-70000-Children-in-India-are-Suffering-from-AIDS-24377-1.htm New Delhi: Nearly 70,000 Children in India are Suffering from AIDS. One out of every eight children suffering from HIV/AIDS worldwide are in India. About 70,000 children below the age of 15 in India are battling the dreaded HIV/AIDS, some who are born with it and others who have got it through blood transfusion, a top health ministry official revealed for the first time here Tuesday. "There may be 70,000 children infected with HIV in India with nearly 21,000 new infections occurring every year," Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said. According to Arjan De Wagt, a US-based representative of Unicef, there are around 530,000 HIV infected children worldwide and nearly 15.2 million children are orphaned due to AIDS. India has so far been surveying the HIV positive population in the 15-59 age group and this is the first time that the government has released data on the HIV positive children population. Speaking at the launch of the 'Policy Framework for Children and AIDS' Dayal said: "The figure is based on the new estimates of HIV prevalence in India". Earlier this month, the health ministry had released fresh data that halved the estimates of AIDS prevalence in India - the new data shows that the country is home to 2.5 million AIDS patients as against the previous estimate of 5.2 million. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) chief K. Sujatha Rao said that the organisation that is part of the ministry now has a record of around 19,000 children. "We have a record of 19,000 children and are looking out for the rest of these young patients. At present we are giving anti-retroviral doses to 6,500 kids," Rao said. Elaborating on the measures launched to reduce the number of children being born with HIV infection, Dayal said: "The government is implementing a nationwide programme called Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission." "Since the introduction of this scheme four years ago, we have counselled and tested nearly five million mothers, detected 47,000 HIV positive mothers and provided prophylaxis (treatment for the prevention of a disease) to 20,000 mother-baby pairs," Dayal said. =============================================================== 9. Is Goa sitting on a drug epidemic?.(Panji) The Herald Publications, August 1, 2007. http://oheraldo.in/node/27072 Panji: Is Goa sitting on a drug epidemic? Goa has a thing to worry because it could be sitting on a drug epidemic like in Nagaland, Manipur in the North East and Punjab, even though no survey has been done to back the claim. These are the words of Prateek Kumar, Project Coordinator for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, New Delhi, at a media-sensitisation workshop on drugs and crime at a city hotel on Tuesday. The workshop, organised by the UNODC in association with local NGOs and Goa State AIDS Control Society, focused on drug abuse prevention with Kumar making a presentation ? Empowering Communities for Prevention of Drugs & HIV in India (Project G86) ? on the same. The UNODC Project Coordinator stressed that till such time there was a demand for drugs there would be a demand for supply and hence there was a need to take preventive measures to cut short the demand at the grassroots level. Stating that the current efforts at prevention were minimal, Kumar mentioned that the current project G86 of UNODC, of which Goa is not a beneficiary, was focusing on covering 250 schools. Goa could be easily covered under this project if the State Education Department is interested. We will approach the department in this regard, he noted. According to the 2004 national survey, major substances of abuse in India involved alcohol, cannabis and opiates, the project coordinator said, adding, "It was found in 2004 that 10.5 million were dependent on alcohol, 2.3 million on cannabis and 0.5 million on opiates." Kumar said his observation over the past many years makes him say that a good 85 to 90 per cent of sexual transmission cases could also be due to a drug link. Drug use clouds one's judgement. On drugs a male/female sheds all inhibitions and seeks sexual pleasures that could be unprotected exposing oneself to HIV, he explained. But Goa has no reason to panic, says Kumar, because it is not a high-prevalence State as of yet, but there's no reason to be complacent also as it is on the borderline and could transcend into the dark any time. =============================================================== 10. HIV survey reveals Nepal girls' plight in India.(Hong Kong) www.uk.reuters.com, August 1, 2007. http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKPEK28767320070731 Hong Kong: HIV survey reveals Nepal girls' plight in India. Nearly 40 percent of Nepalese women and girls rescued after being forced into prostitution in India are HIV positive, a study by the Harvard School of Public Health has found. Appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study highlights concerns over India's HIV/AIDS problem and shows how it may be spilling into neighbouring countries. One in seven Nepalese in the study was trafficked into sexual servitude before the age of 15 and the HIV infection rate exceeded 60 percent. "The high rates of HIV we have documented support concerns that sex trafficking may be a significant factor in both maintaining the HIV epidemic in India and in the expansion of this epidemic to its lower-prevalence neighbours," said Jay Silverman, an associate professor at HSPH. India has around 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, the world's third highest caseload after South Africa and Nigeria, and about 40 percent are women. Nepal has a far lower but rising number of cases and the World Bank has cited the trafficking of Nepalese women and girls to India as a risk factor for HIV transmission in the region. Up to 800,000 people are trafficked across the world each year, 80 percent of them women and girls, according to the U.S. State Department. Of these, 150,000 are trafficked annually within and across South Asia with the majority of them destined for major Indian cities. Silverman and his team studied medical records of 287 girls and women who were rescued and repatriated after being sex-trafficked from Nepal to India between 1997 and 2005; and 38 percent of them tested positive for HIV. Of these 287, 225 had full documentation of their trafficking experiences and their median age at the time of trafficking was 17. The youngest was 7. The mean time served in brothels was 25.8 months and 17.3 percent reported being forced to work in multiple brothels. Most were tricked into leaving Nepal with promises of domestic or restaurant jobs, offers of marriage and others were drugged and kidnapped. More than half were trafficked by people known to them, such as friends, sex partners and family. Thirty-three girls, or 14.7 percent, were trafficked before they were 15. "Girls trafficked prior to age 15 had an increased risk for HIV, with 60.6 percent infected among this youngest age group. Risk was also associated with being trafficked specifically to Mumbai," the researchers said. The researchers said the higher incidence of HIV among the younger girls may be due to a widespread myth that sex with virgins could cure HIV/AIDS, which resulted in them being kept longer in brothels than the older girls. =============================================================== 11. Government turns the spotlight on children with HIV/AIDS.(Mumbai) www.cybernoon.com, August 2, 2007. http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=August2007_inbombay_standard13679 Mumbai: Government turns the spotlight on children with HIV/AIDS. In continuing efforts towards constructive action to protect children from contracting HIV and mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS on children and their families, the Government of India has formulated the 'Comprehensive Policy Framework for Children Infected and Affected by the HIV/AIDS Epidemic'. The Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss and Minister of Women and Child Development, Renuka Choudhary jointly released the Policy Framework at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday. The policy proposes a 'universal' approach in addressing the needs of children and integrating services within existing development and poverty reduction programmes for children. The policy aims at children, 18 years or below, affected by HIV/AIDS, whether they are directly infected or belong to HIV-infected families. It also addresses those adolescents who are at a heightened risk because they live in communities vulnerable to HIV or are practising unsafe behaviour. "As this infection affects the young adults in their productive age group, their premature death or incapacity has resulted by adversely affecting children, " said Ramadoss. "Surveys show how the children are being withdrawn from schools and made to join the workforce to earn income for family sustenance. These conditions need to be addressed. The policy framework launched today is only one attempt in this direction as it seeks to provide the much needed call for action to provide medical, social and psychological support to affected children. "I do hope that the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of HRD, and Ministry of Social Justice will all implement some of the initiatives listed in the policy framework," he further added. "The policy seeks to expand its span of coverage from children orphaned by AIDS; children not infected yet face the same discrimination and denial of services from others; street children, child prisoners, child laborers and children of sex workers etc." "This policy is an acknowledgement of the fact that the overwhelming majority of children who are affected by HIV/AIDS face a profound and permanent effect on their lives because their parents or a close family member is HIV positive," said Choudhary. "At the same time, it recognises that these children are no different from other children whose futures are threatened by different kinds of disease and social exclusion." To implement the policy, a life cycle approach will be used, keeping elimination of stigma and discrimination central to the design. The four key evidence-based-strategies to achieve the goals of the policy are Primary Prevention among Adolescents, Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission, Paediatric AIDS Treatment, Protection and Care of Children and Families affected by AIDS. "Children must be assured access to existing facilities and normal activities of childhood," said the Union Secretary of Health and Family Welfare. Dr. Sujata Rao, Additional Secretary and Director General, National AIDS Control Organisation said, "India has a unique opportunity to use her strengths - low prevalence, rapidly increasing ART coverage, strong government and family safety nets, growing recognition and advocacy for human rights and a robust media to ensure the next generation from the burden of AIDS." Cecilio Adorna, UNICEF Representative to India shared his views when he pointed out that a child turned away from school because his or her parent is HIV-positive is no less deserving of protection against discrimination than a child denied education because of their gender or caste. "The UN system is totally committed to support the leadership in government to realise the objectives of this progressive policy," he finished. The event was attended by senior representatives of government, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, UN agencies, non-governmental and faith based organisations and representatives of network of people living with HIV/AIDS and international experts. Currently, India is estimated to have the third highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. According to the latest epidemic update, there are an estimated 2-3.1 million people living with HIV. The Government of India estimates that there are 66,000 children below the age of 15 years infected with HIV in India. With feminisation of the HIV epidemic, women now account for a growing proportion of infections, 0.29 percent in 2006. Furthermore almost half of all new infections are occurring among young people between the ages of 15 - 24 years. Now, perhaps, a beginning will be made and these numbers will change for the better. According to the latest epidemic update, there are an estimated 2-3.1 million people living with HIV.66,000 children below the age of 15 years are infected with HIV. Half of all new infections are occurring among young people between the ages of 15 - 24 years. The policy aims at children, 18 years or below, affected by HIV/AIDS whether they are directly infected or belong to HIV-infected families. The four key evidence based strategies to achieve the goals of the policy are Primary Prevention among Adolescents, Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission, Paediatric AIDS Treatment, Protection and Care of Children and Families affected by AIDS. =============================================================== Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the above articles are those of the respective newspapers, not those of SAATHII.