HIV/AIDS cases on the rise, but not on NACO website

January 15, 2005

KALPANA JAIN

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005 11:43:52 PM ]

NEW DELHI: The AIDS epidemic could well be on the rampage in a large

number of Indian villages as well as among the urban affluent, but

the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is yet to make that

official.

The official NA-CO website explains in a most complacent

manner, " While the spread of HIV continues, there is no significant

upsurge in the number of new infections and in fact the rate of

growth of HIV has registered a slowing down. "

NACO explains the conclusion by counting the estimated increase in

numbers between 2001 and 2003. In 2002, it says there was an increase

of 6.1 lakh HIV infections, but the number of new infections dropped

to 5.3 lakh in 2003. Epidemiologist Dr L M Nath describes this

conclusion as " premature " . " There is no evidence that the epidemic is

under control. The number of infections in high risk population may

have peaked and sto-pped growing any further, but HIV in the general

population continues to increase, " he says.

Close to 5.2 million people are estimated to be living with the virus

in India. Most of these numbers come from six states identified as

high prevalence: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, TN, Manipur

and Nagaland.

Poverty, illiteracy, women's lack of empowerment and unemployment

which leads to migration are known to be among the main factors that

drive the epidemic. For several of these reasons, the Indian epidemic

has been showing a shift towards rural areas.

In 1998, the urban-rural differential in HIV prevalence amongst

pregnant women was estimated at 8:1. This has now narrowed down to

2.4:1. Of the 5.1 million infections, 3.1 are in rural areas. " This

alone is a cause for concern, " admits an official.

With the virus moving beyond the traditional high-risk groups such as

truck drivers and sex workers, hospitals and private practitioners in

cities too are getting an increasing number of patients from the

middle and upper echelons of society.

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