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India to Increase No-cost ARV Treatment ProgrammeThe Indian government has created an independent committee of experts to determine the validity of UNAIDS' estimate that there were 5.7 million HIV positive people living in India at the end of 2005, Sujatha Rao, Director-General of the country's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), said. According to the "2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic" released in May by UNAIDS, India has overtaken South Africa as the country with the highest number of HIV positive people, with 5.7 million people living with the virus, compared with 5.5 million in South Africa. However, according to Karen Stanecki of UNAIDS, because of India's population of 1.1 billion, compared with South Africa's 44 million, the country's HIV prevalence still is considered low. NACO in a report released in April said there were 72,000 new reported HIV cases in India in 2005, increasing the total number of HIV positive adults living in the country to about 5.2 million. "We stand by our figure that there are 5.2 million HIV/AIDS patients in the age group of 15 to 49 years in the country because the data given by UNAIDS is not validated for the Indian population," Rao said at a news conference, adding, "The module used by the UNAIDS was new, and it contained several assumptions in its module to arrive at the figure for all ages, including [infants]." Rao said the committee is expected to report its findings about the accuracy of UNAIDS' methodology by the end of this year. Rao also announced that India's National Family Health Survey is for the first time collecting random blood samples from 29 states, which should give a more accurate picture of HIV prevalence in the country. The government currently relies on blood samples taken from pregnant women at 750 clinics across the country. In related news, Rao announced that the country plans to provide about 100,000 HIV positive people with access to no-cost antiretroviral (ARVs) by early next year. About 35,000 people are currently receiving no-cost ARVs from 52 clinics throughout the country, and Rao said the government aims to provide 85,000 people with access by August 2006. Health officials said the government plans to increase to 100 the number of sites where ARVs are distributed by early next year. Indian health officials also are increasing efforts in a programme that promotes condom use and safer sex, expands treatment and outreach to people in six states with high HIV prevalence and bolsters the country's vertical transmission of HIV prevention programme. The Indian government has allocated about $200 million for fiscal year 2006-2007 for HIV/AIDS programmes, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. SOURCE: Kaiser Network, 05/Jul/06 |
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