********************************************************** SAATHII Electronic Newsletter HIV NEWS FROM INDIA SOURCE:The Calcutta Telegraph, Press Information Bureau, www.newslocale.org, www.zeenews.com, www.topnews.in, The Chandigarh Newsline, www.zeenews.com, www.indiblitz.com, The Tribune India, The Hindustan Times, The Mumbai Newsline Posted on: 24/10/2007 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. Outcast gay prince sets up date with Oprah (Gujarat) The Calcutta Telegraph, October 15, 2007. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071015/asp/nation/story_8435577.asp 2. Report of national family health survey released (New Delhi) Press Information Bureau, October 15, 2007. http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=31835 3. NACO, UNAIDS join hands to combat HIV/AIDS in North-East (Gulbarga) www.newslocale.org, October 15, 2007. http://www.newslocale.org/health/hnews/naco,_unaids_join_hands_to_combat_hiv%10aids_in_north-east_20071014556.html 4. NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness (Noida) www.zeenews.com, October 16, 2007. http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=400736&sid=REG&sname=&news=NACO%20to%20seek%20help%20from%20churches%20to%20create%20aids%20awareness 5. NACO set up sub-office in Guwahati to fight AIDS (Noida) www.topnews.in, October 17, 2007. http://www.topnews.in/naco-set-sub-office-guwahati-fight-aids-23719 6. Not HIV, it's discrimination they are fighting against (Chandigarh) The Chandigarh Newsline, October 18, 2007. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Not-HIV-its-discrimination-they-are-fighting-against/229694/ 7. NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness (Noida) www.zeenews.com, October 19, 2007. http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=400736&sid=REG&sname= 8. India empowering sex workers through female condoms (Hyderabad) www.indiblitz.com, October 20, 2007. http://www.indiblitz.com/index.php/2007/10/19/india-empowering-sex-workers-through-female-condoms-feature/ 9. Greater exposure to HIV virus builds stronger defence (Chandigarh) The Tribune India, October 20, 2007. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071021/main7.htm 10.Pune lab a step closer to AIDS vaccine (Pune) The Hindustan Times, October 22, 2007. http://www.hindustantimes.com/redir.aspx?ID=464b6050-952c-4610-a0a2-5cfbc75d0fc1 11.Molecular tech boost for JJ ART centre (Mumbai) The Mumbai Newsline, October 23, 2007. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Molecular-tech-boost-for-JJs-ART-centre/231211/ =============================================================== 1. Outcast gay prince sets up date with Oprah (Gujarat) The Calcutta Telegraph, October 15, 2007. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1071015/asp/nation/story_8435577.asp Gujarat: Outcast gay prince sets up date with Oprah An Indian prince who grew up in a bubble of privilege and protection will in two weeks’ time discuss the startling details of his life on the world’s most popular TV talk show. Manvendra Singh Gohil, 42, the only Indian royal to have declared himself gay, is the first male from India to be invited to Oprah Winfreys show, the first woman being Aishwarya Rai. The prince is unlikely to disappoint his global audience on October 26. He has already shown he is ready to risk losing face, family and fortune by speaking the truth. When the royal from the former princely state of Rajpipla came out in 2005, his family disowned him and people in his hometown burnt his portraits. His parents printed newspaper notices cutting him off as heir because of his involvement in activities unacceptable to society. His mother threatened to sue anyone who referred to him as her son. I had given an interview to a trusted reporter of a local daily,the prince said. I was tired of concealing my real identity before my own people. I did not expect the news to go beyond Gujarat but it grabbed national and global news space. In high society, people tittered behind his back, gossiping about an alleged teenage affair with a servant boy and a sexless marriage to a minor princess that ended in divorce after 15 months. But for the noble-turned-outcast, misfortune opened up a new way of life. It brought him a platform from which he could speak out against a law that makes homosexuality a crime, and take care of the HIV-positive whom Indian society often treats as pariahs. With Oprah, he will discuss gay rights, the role of his NGO Lakshya Trust and the plight of HIV-positive Indians. It is a fantastic feeling to be invited to talk to Oprah Winfrey in her show. I received a communication on October 6 inviting me to her New York studio, Manvendra said at his estate in the tribal district of Narmada. Life has taken a few pleasant turns for the prince recently. His father Raghubir has accepted him. Manvendra had told his parents in 2002, three years before letting the world know. It was not easy for me or my family. My mother has still not reconciled herself to the fact that I am born gay. However, my father has no grudges. Shuttling between his plush Mumbai home and Rajavanti Palace now, Manvendra keeps fighting for the HIV-positive, his work bringing him a UN award in 2006. He says he plans to build a home on the Narmadas banks for those living in the final stages of HIV and those neglected by relatives. They just need love and not medicines. At his palace, the music-loving prince holds an annual music and fine arts festival every October to promote the motto that gays are also talented and creative. Just as artists are born with inherent talent we are born gay and people have to understand that it is a part of (our) nature, said Manvendra, who is believed to be good at playing the harmonium. =============================================================== 2. Report of national family health survey released (New Delhi) Press Information Bureau, October 15, 2007 http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=31835 New Delhi: Report of national family health survey released The Final Report of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3), 2005-06 released today by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare offers a comprehensive picture of the health, nutrition and population in the country. Releasing the Report, the Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri G. C. Chaturvedi, said findings from NFHS-3 have added substantially to the knowledge base about the health and family welfare situation of the country and will be a valuable source of information for making further improvements in health and family welfare policies and programmes. The national report paints a mixed picture of Indias overall reproductive health status. On the one hand, women are having fewer children and infant mortality has dropped in the seven- year period since the last NFHS survey in 1998-99. On the other hand, anaemia and malnutrition are still widespread among children and adults. And, in an unusual juxtaposition, more adults, especially urban women, are overweight or obese than they were seven years ago. NFHS-3, the third in the NFHS series of surveys, provides information on population, health and nutrition in India and each of its 29 states. For the first time, NFHS-3 collected information on men and unmarried women. The survey is based on a sample of households that is representative at the national and state levels. It conducted interviews with around 200,000 women age 15-49 and men age 15-54 throughout India. NFHS-3 also tested more than 100,000 women and men for HIV and 215,000 adults and young children for anaemia. The data set on key indicators provides a trend that includes information on several new topics, such as HIV/AIDS-related attitudes and behaviour, male involvement in family welfare and attitudes about family life education for children in school. Key findings: Family Planning Use Up, Fertility DownSmaller families are slowly becoming the norm in India. Fertility has continued to decline since NFHS-2, dropping to an average of 2.7 children from 2.9 children. Ten states, mostly in Southern India, have reached replacement level or below replacement level fertility. While son preference remains a barrier to more rapid decline in fertility, an increasing number of women who have only daughters say that they want no more children. In NFHS-3, 62% of women with two daughters and no sons say they want no more children, compared with 47% in NFHS-2. Declining fertility could be attributed largely to womens increased use of contraception. For the first time ever, more than half of currently married women in India are using contraception, and their use of modern contraceptive methods increased from 43% to 49% between NFHS-2 and NFHS-3. A rise in the average age at marriage is also contributing to the drop in fertility. Forty-five percent of women ages 20-24 were married before the legal age of marriage of 18 years, compared with 50% seven years earlier. This shift in age at marriage also influences the median age at first birth, which increased by six months to 19.8 years. Half of Women Lack Proper Care during Pregnancy and Delivery More than three-quarters of pregnant women in India received at least some antenatal care (ANC), but only half of women had at least three ANC visits with a health provider during their pregnancy. The disparity between urban and rural women was especially pronounced, with 74% of urban women having ANC at least three times, compared with 43% of rural women. Births assisted by a health professional increased to 49% from 42%, with 75% of urban women but only 39% of rural women in NFHS-3 received assistance from a health professional. Institutional births increased from 34% to 41%, but most women still deliver their children at home. Only about one-third of women received postnatal care within two days of delivery. Infant Mortality Drops, but Full Immunization Coverage Shows Little Progress Infant mortality continues to decline, dropping from 68 in 1998-99 to 57 in 2005-06 per thousand births. There were particularly notable drops in the infant mortality rate in Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. The situation regarding child immunization rates during this period has not been very encouraging. Overall, there was only a marginal improvement in full vaccination coverage, with 44% of children ages 12-23 months receiving all recommended vaccinations, up from 42% seven years earlier. Substantial improvements in coverage have been made in all vaccinations except DPT, which did not change at all between NFHS2 and NFHS-3. Gains are particularly evident for polio vaccination coverage, but nearly one-quarter of children age 12-23 months did not receive three recommended doses. Progress in vaccination coverage varies markedly among the states. In 11 states, there has been a substantial deterioration in full immunization coverage in the last seven years, due to a decline in vaccination coverage for both DPT and polio. Large decline were seen in Maharashtra, Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, and Punjab. On the other hand, there was major improvement in full immunization coverage in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, and West Bengal. Other states with marked improvements in full immunization coverage were Assam, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Uttaranchal. Diarrhoea continues to be a major health problem for many children. Although knowledge about Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) for the treatment of diarrhoea is widespread among mothers, only 58% of children with diarrhoea were taken to a health facility, down from 65% seven years earlier. Domestic Violence Widespread A substantial proportion of married women reported that they experienced physical or sexual violence at some time in their lives. Overall, 40% of ever-married women experienced violence, with large variations among the states. The experience of spousal violence ranges from a low of 6% in Himachal Pradesh to a high of 59% in Bihar. Married women with no education were much more likely (at 46%) than other women to have suffered spousal violence. However, spousal violence extended to women who have 12 or more years of higher education, with 12% reporting violence. Malnutrition Persists; Anaemia Widespread Malnutrition continues to be a significant health problem for children and adults in India. While there have been some improvements in the nutritional status of young children in several states, nutritional deficiencies are still widespread. There has been the increase in wasting, or weight for height, among children under age 3 years. Around 23% of children were wasted. At the same time, there has been very marginal change in the percentage of children who are underweight (43% in NFHS-2 and 40% in NFHS-3). NFHS-3 also found high prevalence of anaemia 70% in children age 6-59 months. Anaemia in India is primarily linked to poor nutrition. Women and men suffer a dual burden of overnutrition and undernutrition. More than one‑third of women are too thin, while 13% are overweight or obese. In all, nearly half of married women are either underweight or overweight. One-third of men are too thin, and 9% are overweight or obese. The states with the largest percentage of overweight women and men are Punjab, Kerala, and Delhi, especially among the more educated. Anaemia is also disturbingly common among adults. More than half of women in India (55%) are anaemic. Anaemia among pregnant women during that period has also increased. Even though men are much less likely than women to be anaemic, anaemia levels in men are at around 24%. Most Adults Support Family Life Education Virtually all Indian adults agree that children should be taught moral values in school, and most adults think that children should learn about the changes that occur in their bodies during puberty. Men and women differ somewhat on whether children should be taught in school about contraception. About half of women and two-thirds of men think that girls should learn about contraception in school. Both women and men are slightly less likely to say that contraception should be part of boys’ school education. Most men and women believe that information on HIV/AIDS should also be part of the school curriculum. About 80 percent of men think boys and girls should learn about HIV/AIDS, compared with 63 percent of women. More than 60 percent of men say that both boys and girls should be taught about sex and sexual behaviour in school, but slightly less than half of women felt that this was an appropriate topic to be taught to girls or boys in school. Two-thirds of Married Women Don't Know That Condoms Prevent HIV Given that people living with HIV in India is substantial, findings from NFHS-3 on the extent and sex differentials in knowledge of HIV/AIDS are of concern. Only 84% of men and 61% of women have ever heard of AIDS. Further, only 70% of men and 36% of women know that consistent condom use can reduce the chances of getting HIV/AIDS. The results underscore the pressing need to educate women and men about the virus, how it is transmitted, and how it can be prevented. Increasing HIV/AIDS education will be a critical step to curbing the number of new HIV cases in India. HIV Prevalence For the first time, the survey measured community level HIV prevalence at the national level and for selected states. New evidence from NFHS-3 has provided crucial information for understanding Indias HIV epidemic. The survey found an HIV prevalence rate of 0.28 percent for the population ages 15 to 49. Prevalence is more than 60 percent higher among men than women, at 0.36 percent and 0.22 percent, respectively. NFHS-3 found HIV prevalence to be particularly high in Manipur (1.1%) and Andhra Pradesh (1.0%). About NFHS The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) 2005-06 is the third in a series of national surveys; earlier NFHS surveys were carried out in 1992-93 (NFHS-1) and 1998-99 (NFHS-2). All three surveys were conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, serving as the nodal agency. Macro International, Calverton, Maryland, USA, NACO and NARI provided technical assistance. Besides the Government of India, funding for NFHS-3 was provided by the United States Agency for International Development, the Department for International Development (United Kingdom), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Funds. 18 research organizations were engaged to conduct the fieldwork for interviewing 199,000 women age 15-49 and men age 15-54 throughout India. NFHS-3 also tested more than 100,000 women and men for HIV and 215,000 adults and young children for anaemia. Fieldwork for NFHS-3 was conducted in two phases from December 2005 to August 2006. =============================================================== 3. NACO, UNAIDS join hands to combat HIV/AIDS in North-East (Gulbarga) www.newslocale.org, October 15, 2007. http://www.newslocale.org/health/hnews/naco,_unaids_join_hands_to_combat_hiv%10aids_in_north-east_20071014556.html Gulbarga: NACO, UNAIDS Join Hands To Combat HIV/AIDS In North-East NACO, UNAIDS Join Hands To Combat HIV/AIDS In North -East Concerned over the alarming rise the HIV/AIDS cases in the North-East, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) in collaboration with UNAIDS, the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS, launched a campaign to combat the fatal disease in the region. The joint drive aims at reducing the risk and impact of HIV among the people in the North-Eastern states of India. The key components of the initiative include capacity building and advocating care and support for women and children in these states. The five-year program is supported with an $8.9 million grant from the Australian government and includes reaching out to the far-flung districts by developing a network of services in partnership with state machinery, as well as other community-based services. According to the Australian High Commissioner in India John McCarthy, Australia will commit around nine million dollars over the next five years to combat AIDS in four of the north-eastern states - Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. According to a survey, two of the six high HIV/AIDS prevalent states in India are Manipur and Nagaland and estimates show that 30 per cent of the country's 'injecting' drug users are in the North-East. Another survey conducted by National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) of India found a HIV prevalence rate of 0.28 percent for the population in the age group of 15-49 years. The occurrence of the fatal disease is 60 percent higher among men than in women, at 0.36 percent and 0.22 percent respectively. HIV prevalence is particularly high in Manipur (1.1 percent) and Andhra Pradesh (1 percent). Meanwhile, the concern over the growing cases of HIV/AIDS in the region has prompted the government to rope in the church to create awareness among the youths about safe sex and the use of condoms. According to the NACO director general Sujatha Rao, thus far the church has not accepted the need to promote condoms and have not come out in the open. But now they are holding continuous dialogues with the church and have urged that they should not deny information about promoting safe sex and use of condoms. There is, however, no conflict between the church and the NACO. While the church preaches about abstinence and being faithful to their partners, NACO wants them to also articulate about the use of condoms and being careful in their relationship. The best part of the story is that now the church has agreed to work with NACO as they are seeing the reality of youth dying of AIDS. =============================================================== 4. NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness (Noida) www.zeenews.com, October 16, 2007. http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=400736&sid=REG&sname=&news=NACO%20to%20seek%20help%20from%20churches%20to%20create%20aids%20awareness Noida: NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness Concerned over the growing cases of HIV/AIDS in the Northeastern States, the government plans to rope in the church to create awareness among the youths about safe sex and the use of condoms. "The church has so far not accepted the need to promote condoms and have not come out in the open. But we are holding continuous dialogues with them and have suggested that they should not deny information about promoting safe sex and use of condoms," director general of National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) Sujatha Rao said on Friday. Noting that the church was "not hostile" to their dialogue in the Northeast, she said they are collaborating with the church and showing them data about how HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Nagaland and Manipur was the highest in the country. "Informally, they agree with us because they see the reality of youth dying of AIDS," Rao told reporters after the launch of the joint programme on HIV and AIDS prevention and care in the Northeast States of India here. The national HIV prevalence rate is 0.36 per cent, while it is 1.7 per cent in Manipur and 1.4 per cent in Nagaland. Stressing that government wants to involve the church in their programme in the Northeast, Rao said otherwise it could be "a very serious barrier to their work in the area." "We are holding dialogues with them and we are confident that they will come round as they are seeing that youngsters are wasting their lives away," she said. "We want to make them partners in our social movement as our aim is to save the lives of the youth as the infection is now spreading through heterosexual route and not just by the Injected Drug Users (IDUS)," Rao said. She said the church preaches about abstinence and being faithful to one`s partner, "We just want to them to also articulate about the use of condoms and being careful in their relationship." Describing the prevalence rate crossing one per cent in Manipur and Nagaland as a "serious matter", she said, "It means that the infection has infected the general population." Agreeing that they have neglected marketing condoms in the region, she said a condom is a medicine to bring down the prevalence rate in the region. About how the joint programme would help them, Rao said Australia was a leader in the area of IDU management. "They could give training to peer educators, outreach workers and nurses. With their help we could prepare a training module to tackle the problem," she said. NACO`S budget for the northeast to fight HIV/AIDS is Rs 93 crore, she said. Rao said drug addiction was so rampant in Manipur and Nagaland because they have unattended borders and near to Myanmar from where, she said, it was easy to push drugs. =============================================================== 5. NACO set up sub-office in Guwahati to fight AIDS (Noida) www.topnews.in, October 17, 2007. http://www.topnews.in/naco-set-sub-office-guwahati-fight-aids-23719 Noida: NACO Set Up Sub-Office In Guwahati To Fight AIDS In order to fight AIDS in the northeast region, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has launched its sub-office at Guwahati in Assam. The five year plan backed with an $8.9 million funding from the Australian administration will be mutually followed out with the help of U.N. delegacies. The project will also get $650,000 from the Swedish government for three years. Aimed at reducing the risk and impact of HIV and AIDS in the north-east, the main elements of the scheme comprise support, capacity building, proper care and advocacy for women and kids and building up advanced state-specific programmes. This comprises reaching out to the remote areas by building up a network of services together with the state machinery plus other community-based service suppliers and hiring a community and social action to spread HIV alertness. While introducing the plan, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Panabaka Lakshmi stated that the scheme was the culmination of the expressed needs of the northeast States. It demonstrated the close partnership between the administration, the U.N. system and donor authorities to team up and support the national response to HIV. Minister of State for Labour (independent charge) Oscar Fernandes, who is also convenor of the Parliamentarians Forum on HIV/AIDS was also present at the function, reiterated the governments commitment to fight the disease. Swedish Ambassador Lars-Olof Lindgren hoped that the project would support the affiliation between civil society organisations and the administration to promote the response to HIV and AIDS in the region. Two of the six high prevalent States such as Manipur and Nagaland are in the northeast. Estimations explain that 30 percent of the injecting drug users in the country are in this region. Even though Assam and Meghalaya are low prevalence States, presence of other high risk groups and injecting drug use has been reported. =============================================================== 6. Not HIV, it's discrimination they are fighting against (Chandigarh) The Chandigarh Newsline, October 18, 2007. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Not-HIV-its-discrimination-they-are-fighting-against/229694/ Chandigarh: Not HIV, it's discrimination they are fighting against The Chandigarh Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) a group of HIV+ persons from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh - will turn two today. The increasing awareness about HIV/AIDS, however, has not helped the PLHA to lead a normal life. They still face discrimination in society and many have lost their jobs due to the disease, and an expensive second-line treatment that majority of them cannot afford. Moreover, there is no concrete policy for HIV/AIDS orphans in the city. President of the network Pooja Thakur said, We have 178 member families of the PLHA and a majority of them are struggling to get employment. People engaged in jobs that required physical labour cannot take up the same strenuous jobs. Moreover, they are unable to find jobs, which are easier on their fading health. The network also supports 72 children and has been requesting the UT Administration to give them space to build a hostel for the children. Children who are on Anti-Retroviral Treatment need special care. They have to be given nutritious diet and regular medicines. Most of them, however, live with their relatives, who cannot take care of the children this way,said Thakur. The coordinator of the Knowledge Information Rights Advocacy Network (KIRAN), Sarbjit Singh, said the PLHA in North India have suffered because these states in the region have been termed as low-risk areas. He said, Neither the government, nor major political parties in the region are taking HIV/AIDS very seriously. He further added, State governments have started providing free ART through NACO and States AIDS Control Societies (SACS). But in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal the facilities are far from adequate. The coordinator of the KIRAN said that state governments should take up the responsibility, rather than depend upon NACO. He said, The poor cannot even afford baseline tests such as blood, urine and x-ray. These tests should be provided for free. Moreover, more centres to provide ART and CD4 tests should be opened in different states, he added. Project coordinator Drop-in-Center, Chandigarh, Nawendu Jha, said, “We have taken up the cause of HIV+ workers, who have been thrown out of work due to the disease. People from neighbouring states also approach us because they feel the SACS in their states are not active enough. The network has planned to hand over a memorandum of demands of the PLHA to the Administration. We hope the Administration will go through it and consider our genuine demands,said Thakur. =============================================================== 7. NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness (Noida) www.zeenews.com, October 19, 2007. http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=400736&sid=REG&sname= Noida: NACO to seek help from churches to create AIDS awareness Concerned over the growing cases of HIV/AIDS in the Northeastern States, the government plans to rope in the church to create awareness among the youths about safe sex and the use of condoms. "The church has so far not accepted the need to promote condoms and have not come out in the open. But we are holding continuous dialogues with them . They have suggested that they should not deny information about promoting safe sex and use of condoms," director general of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) Sujatha Rao said on Friday. Noting that the church was "not hostile" to their dialogue in the Northeast, she said they are collaborating with the church and showing them data about how HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Nagaland and Manipur was the highest in the country. "Informally, they agree with us because they see the reality of youth dying of AIDS," Rao told reporters after the launch of the joint programme on HIV and AIDS prevention and care in the Northeast States of India here. The national HIV prevalence rate is 0.36 per cent, while it is 1.7 per cent in Manipur and 1.4 per cent in Nagaland. Stressing that government wants to involve the church in their programme in the Northeast, Rao said otherwise it could be "a very serious barrier to their work in the area." "We are holding dialogues with them and we are confident that they will come round as they are seeing that youngsters are wasting their lives away," she said. "We want to make them partners in our social movement as our aim is to save the lives of the youth as the infection is now spreading through heterosexual route and not just by the Injected Drug Users (IDUS)," Rao said. She said the church preaches about abstinence and being faithful to one`s partner, "We just want to them to also articulate about the use of condoms and being careful in their relationship." Describing the prevalence rate crossing one per cent in Manipur and Nagaland as a "serious matter", she said, "It means that the infection has infected the general population." Agreeing that they have neglected marketing condoms in the region, she said a condom is a medicine to bring down the prevalence rate in the region. About how the joint programme would help them, Rao said Australia was a leader in the area of IDU management. "They could give training to peer educators, outreach workers and nurses. With their help we could prepare a training module to tackle the problem," she said. NACO`S budget for the northeast to fight HIV/AIDS is Rs 93 crore, she said. Rao said drug addiction was so rampant in Manipur and Nagaland because they have unattended borders and near to Myanmar from where, she said, it was easy to push drugs. =============================================================== 8. India empowering sex workers through female condoms (Hyderabad) www.indiblitz.com, October 20, 2007. http://www.indiblitz.com/index.php/2007/10/19/india-empowering-sex-workers-through-female-condoms-feature/ Hyderabad: India empowering sex workers through female condoms Thirty-five-year-old Laxmi feels much safer now- thanks to female condoms. And she is just one in an army of sex workers who feel the condoms have given them a new meaning in life. One in every three clients refuses to wear condoms. But after attending health awareness camps, I have understood the threat of AIDS and how it spreads through unprotected sex,' Laxmi said. In the last few months we have got female condoms at very subsidised rate. When a client refuses to take protection, we go for the female condom for our own safety,' Laxmi told IANS. Like Laxmi, there are tens of thousands of women across India for whom there is now an option to stay safe from HIV/AIDS even when their clients refuse to take protection. Anusha is another commercial sex worker working in and around Hyderabad. She said: Besides the health benefit, there is a monetary gain as well. Instead of refusing customers, especially those who are drunk, we go for female condoms. This practice helps in stabilising our earnings and at the same time keeps us away from HIV/AIDS, she said. Anusha and her fellow workers have even composed a Telugu song to hail the benefit of female condoms, popularly called FCs. Like a security guard has a gun, now female sex workers have an FC in their hand for protection, she said, speaking in Hindi mixed with Telugu. To cut down the threat of AIDS, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has distributed female condoms. The effort is paying off in empowering sex workers. While the market price of a female condom is Rs.47, NACO makes them available to sex workers for just Rs.5. Although the FC was produced in 1992, it came to India in 2003. NACO, Hindustan Latex and several NGOs are now jointly conducting a pre-assessment survey on the acceptance of FCs among sex workers of six states that have a large number of HIV/AIDS cases. An assessment survey is going on in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. We are also assessing the acceptability among the general population of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, said Kavita Potturi, national programme manager, Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT). The government has rolled out 500,000 FCs for the purpose in these states. And the final result of the assessment will be known by December, Potturi, who is coordinating the drive, told IANS. Of the six states, all the districts of Andhra Pradesh, six districts each of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, and two districts of Gujarat have been covered, she said. India is home to 2.5 million HIV/AIDS patients, of which at least 500,000 are in Andhra Pradesh. Disclosing two findings of the survey, she said: There is very high acceptance of FCs among the commercial sex workers and the high risk population (vulnerable to AIDS) in this category has dropped from 17 percent earlier to seven percent now in Andhra Pradesh. It is certainly empowering women. Now they have an option not to succumb to male pressure. After the ongoing survey, the government plans to extend this process to all districts of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. B. Kalidas, additional director of Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS), said whether it is the male condom or the female condom, the aim is to reduce risk. We should prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and the female condom is a potent tool in this direction. I can see the Andhra experience of female condoms. The high-risk group (sex workers) are really reaping the benefits, Kalidas explained. =============================================================== 9. Greater exposure to HIV virus builds stronger defence (Chandigarh) The Tribune, October 20, 2007. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071021/main7.htm Chandigarh: Greater exposure to HIV virus builds stronger defence In the first report of its kind from India, investigators from the PGI have studied the mechanisms that protect certain individuals from HIV infection despite repeated exposure to the HIV virus. Such study was earlier reported from Kenya. Published in four international journals over the past year, the PGI study makes an important contribution to the ongoing global research on the development of HIV vaccine, which depends heavily on the understanding of factors that prevent HIV in some people. The study also has the potential of guiding pharmaceutical firms to produce better drugs. The idea behind the present work, funded by the Indian Council for Medical Research, was to detail inherent immune responses that offer some people natural protection against HIV. For this purpose, the investigators analyzed the genetic composition of exposed uninfected (EU) individuals, who did not become HIV positive despite regular, unprotected contact with their HIV infected partners. The sample was taken out of 30 heterosexual couples who attended PGIs Immunodeficiency Clinic. All these individuals had had regular unprotected sexual contact with infected partners within six months prior to sampling. The findings were revealing. They showed that there was a smaller group of people who actually required sustained exposure to the HIV virus to keep them protected from HIV infection. This significant finding stands against the conventional wisdom that the more a person is exposed to HIV virus, the more likely he/she is to acquire HIV infection. In the study group in question, the investigators, through sophisticated tests, found that the more recent a persons exposure to HIV virus by way of sexual contact with the infected partner, the stronger his/her protective mechanisms against HIV. “In the EUs we sampled, we discovered that sustained unprotected exposure actually enhanced the activities that prevent HIV. In medical terms, we say that exposure to virus increased T-helper and granule dependent cytotoxic Tlymphocytes (CTLs) activity among these people and they never got infected,said . Dr Ajay Wanchu of the Department of Internal Medicine, PGI, who conceived the study. The study has been jointly conducted by the Department of Internal Medicine, PGI, Department of Biochemistry, Panjan University and the Department of Medical Microbiology, PGI. Besides the above-mentioned finding, the study concluded that EUs had excess quantity of molecules called chemokines in their blood. “These molecules sit on the surface of CD4 T cells, which the HIV virus attacks. By sitting so, they prevent the entry of the virus, offering to the person concerned natural resistance from HIV. We found that persons in our study group were inherently able to produce more chemokines to block CD-4 cell - the receptor of HIV virus - and thus prevent infection,explained Dr Wanchu, adding that all the persons studied were into monogamous (single partner) relations. It means that even monogamous relationships are enough to elicit protective responses that keep the HIV virus at bay. Such individuals who do not get infected despite repeated exposure to HIV virus have earlier been described among the sex workers of Kenya. From India, they have been described for the first time by the PGI. Also, whereas the study group in Kenya was involved with many partners, the one in India had single partners, indicating that monogamous relationships can also produce mechanisms for protection from HIV. =============================================================== 10.Pune lab a step closer to AIDS vaccine (Pune) The Hindustan Times, October 22, 2007. http://www.hindustantimes.com/redir.aspx?ID=464b6050-952c-4610-a0a2-5cfbc75d0fc1 Pune: Pune lab a step closer to AIDS vaccine Results of the phase one clinical trials to develop a vaccine for the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are out. The Pune-based National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) took up two possible vaccines for trial in February 2005. The results were analysed after completion of one years follow-up this year of the last vaccinated volunteer. The results indicate that the first vaccine, which used adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector, failed to generate desired results. The second vaccine using the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vector was on par with scientists’ expectations. The vector is a virus that is used as a vehicle to carry human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genes of interest. We have analysed the results and found that MVA vaccines have matched our expectations on the safety parameters, said NARI Deputy Director Dr Sanjay M. Mehendale. But the other vaccine, AAV, was not very much successful in generating desired immune response." Now scientists at NARI, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organisation and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, are discussing how to go ahead with further trials of the so-far successful vaccine. The phase two trials may take off in six months if the Union Health Ministry gives its clearance. The phase one trial was meant to study the safety of the vaccine in humans and its ability to stimulate immune responses against HIV/AIDS. The 30 healthy candidates who underwent the trials did not show any adverse effects on safety parameters, but the immunity response using the AAV vector vaccine was below expectations. In the trials, data was also collected on the ideal dosage. The 30 volunteers were split into three groups to receive three different dosages - low, medium and high - of the vaccine candidate. After the results, we are also discussing the success and failure of these vaccines with our international counterparts, said Dr Mehandale. Last year in Chennai, too, the phase one clinical trial of an AIDS vaccine candidate using the MVA vector was initiated at the Tuberculosis Research Centre. In Chennai, 32 volunteers will be enrolled for tests. The AIDS vaccine trials work on two strategies - either neutralising antibodies or cell mediated immune response. In the first case, the vaccine would be able to prime the immune system to kill HIV even as it enters the body, while in the second approach a cell would perform the protective function. =============================================================== 11.Molecular tech boost for JJ ART centre (Mumbai) The Mumbai Newsline, October 23, 2007. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Molecular-tech-boost-for-JJs-ART-centre/231211/ Mumbai: Molecular tech boost for JJs ART centre A boon for 6,432 AIDS patients including children who are currently on antiretroviral treatment (ART) at Sir JJ Hospital, the state-run hospital is all set to unveil a new, sophisticated molecular virology equipment that will help the hospital manage AIDS patients better. Worth Rs 32 lakh, Nuclisens Esay uses gene-based molecular technology and can help treat AIDS patients in various ways it can indicate when to start treatment, when to change treatment and monitor treatment to gauge the patients response. Donated by a French company in appreciation to the work done by the hospitals ART centre, it will be the first time that such an equipment will installed in a public set up in the country. Nuclisens Esay Q will be inaugurated at the JJ Hospital on Thursday. The rate of treatment failure (drug resistance) is three to five per cent at the end of three years and the hospitals ART centre is already more than three years in existence and also the oldest in the country to give free ART drugs. In order to check failures, this viral load machine will be very useful, explained Alaka Deshpande, in-charge of the JJ Hospitals ART centre and head, internal medicine department. In order to start second line treatment, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) will have to measure the viral load in patients currently resistant to first line of drugs. Therein lies the utility of the equipment. The equipment, Deshpande added, would also help in early detection of viruses in individuals with the smallest quantity of virus as it amplifies the RNA of the virus. The equipment works on real time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification technology along with detection by a molecular beacon with unparalleled sensitivity and specificity. It extracts ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of even the smallest quantity of virus from the blood or any kind of samples and amplifies it. With this equipment, JJ Hospital will be entering a new era in molecular virology, Deshpande added. Once set up, JJ Hospital may soon be able to help test viral loads in samples sent from other state-run ART centres including those at Mumbai's municipal hospitals. =============================================================== Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the above articles are those of the respective newspapers, not those of SAATHII.