Global AIDS - India
India - 610,000 new HIV cases in 2002
Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, November 14, 2003
HIV in India is Spreading Into General Population - Country Had
610,000 New HIV Cases in 2002
India recorded about 610,000 new HIV cases last year, as the virus
spreads into the general population mainly through sex between married
men and sex workers, according to a study released Thursday, the Associated
Press reports (Misra, Associated Press, 11/13).
The study, which was conducted by the Washington D.C.-based Population
Reference Bureau and the Population Foundation of India and funded by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, found that the number of HIV-positive
people in the country rose from 3.97 million in 2001 to 4.58 million
by the end of 2002, according to data from the country's National AIDS
Control Organization.
"HIV/AIDS is now spreading to the general populace of India, and
if knowledge of the disease, preventive measures and counseling is not
made universal then India could see an epidemic similar to that of some
of the African countries," according to a PRB release.
India, with a population of more than one billion, has the second largest
number of HIV-positive people after South Africa (Choudhury, AFP/Yahoo!
News, 11/13).
The study, which used state and federal data, found that more than 85%
of HIV cases are associated with unprotected sex. In addition, the study
showed that in four of the six hardest-hit states, the highest HIV incidence
rates were among men in the service sector, hotel employees and businessmen.
"The spread from the high-risk behavior groups to the general populace
is another key indicator that HIV/AIDS in India has reached epidemic
proportions," thestudy said, adding that the clients of sex workers,
"particularly married males, act as the bridge groups aiding (the
spread) into the general population." The worst-hit states include
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland,
according to the study.
Gates Foundation Grant
The Gates Foundation last month announced that it would double its
funding for fighting HIV/AIDS in India to $200 million. The foundation
expects that the grant, which is known as the India AIDS Initiative,
will help to fund condom distribution, treatment of other sexually transmitted
diseases and high-profile HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns featuring celebrities
and local leaders, efforts that have been successful in other countries.
Bill Gates said that the funds will also be used to reduce the social
stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in India, which has led to the refusal of
medical treatment or housing for some HIV-positive people, according
to Indian AIDS advocates (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/14).
Carl Haub, a PRB senior demographer, said that "because adequate
efforts were not made to undo the stigma and discrimination related
to HIV/AIDS in the early epidemic stages [in Africa], the disease continued
to grow silently," adding, "But I have cause to hope that
the situation in India may improve as India has in fact taken action."
However, the study found that only 72% of people in rural areas had
heard of HIV or AIDS, while 90% of people living in urban areas had
heard of the disease (AFP/Yahoo! News, 11/13). Therefore, increasing
awareness levels in the 640,000 villages where the majority of the country's
citizens live will be the "biggest challenge," according to
the Associated Press (Associated Press, 11/13).
Web Site: www.saathii.org
(SAATHII website will be one of the comprehensive websites for HIV-AIDS
information in India and a unique tool for networking)
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SAATHII Mission: Information Dissemination, Networking and Capacity
Building of and Advocacy for the Indian Civil Society to enhance and
strengthen the response towards the fight against HIV infection in India
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