2006-08-16 14:58:31

AIDS Spreading In Rural India, Women Are Worst Victims: Health Minister


(16th Aug.2006): -AIDS is spreading in India and the main concern is that the virus is going to rural areas. The second concern is women. Today, about 39 per cent of those affected are women and 57 per cent of the cases are located in rural areas," said Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss. Talking to reporters in Toronto, Canada - Monday, 14th Aug; on the sidelines of the 16th International AIDS Conference , Ramadoss said - “The AIDS epidemic has so far been concentrated in some states and mostly restricted to certain pockets, and among certain groups in the country, but now it appears to be spreading all across the country. . It is no longer the northeast. But now we see it in Punjab and it is a huge problem in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai," Minister Ramadoss added. The disease has also claimed new territory in north India. In states like Punjab and Delhi, injectible drug users are fuelling the spread of the disease. The HIV epidemic is no longer restricted to high risk groups such as sex workers and injectible drug users, but has now spread to the general population, especially rural women folks. Admitting that HIV/AIDS was a serious issue in the paramilitary forces, Minister Ramadoss said discussions were on with the Home Ministry for intervention measures. The problem was more serious in the Border Security Force and Assam Rifles. He said the Government would invest close to 2.5 billion dollars in the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-III) to be implemented in 2007 for the next five years.

The Catholic Church’s delegation led by Archbishop Bernard Moras, Chairman of the CBCI Health Commission is also attending the conference the theme of which is “Time to Deliver”.
It underscores the continued urgency in bringing effective HIV prevention and treatment strategies to communities the world over. In India, the first case was identified in 1986 in Chennai. At present, according to the official statistics, the total number of people living with HIV in India is 5.17 million.









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