The Indian Church in the forefront of the fight against AIDS

(December 01, 2010) In a related development, a recent UNAIDS report said that India is on track to reverse the spread of AIDS in the country. The Indian Church has 150 institutions involved in the program, of which 86 are specialized care centers.
Dr. Charles Gilks, Coordinator of UNAIDS in India said there was a decline of almost 50 percent in new cases of HIV infection in the last decade. The numbers fell from 240 thousand to 120 thousand.
In Asia, the epidemic has remained concentrated largely among people who inject drugs, people who work in the sex trade, and men who have sex with other men. Of the total number of patients in India, about 40 percent were women. Among the 25 countries that have the highest number of people living with HIV, India is among those, who have about 80 per cent of patients taking retro-viral therapy for at least a year.
Indian Archbishop Albert D’Souza of Agra told AsiaNews that the Catholic Church in India is determined to help those affected by HIV and AIDS. He said our church has worked hard in the national effort and its response to AIDS is one of the major contributions in facilitating access to prevention, care, and the support of the sick, and access to treatment. He added that this work takes place under the Coalition for AIDS and related diseases of the CBCI - the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India. Archbishop D'Souza sadly noted however, that people with HIV are stigmatized and suffer discrimination which is unfair, unethical and inhumane.