Group of experts to assess AIDS situation in India:

October 5, 2004

Group of experts to assess AIDS situation :

Health India > New Delhi, Oct 5 : Expressing concern over the

controversies surrounding the number of HIV infections in the country,

the government is setting up a group of experts to look at the ground

situation, an official said here today.

" The group will have national and international experts who will

examine and assess the situation, " Health Secretary J V R Prasada Rao

told reporters here on the launch of UK's new global AIDS Strategy.

Several times misleading statements have been made on the AIDS

situaton in India triggering panic, Rao said adding it also affects

the government programme. The government data on the situation is

freely available, he said.

" We should not go into the number game, " he said.

Recently Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and

Malaria Feachem during his visit to the country had claimed

that India may be " Number one " in terms of number of HIV cases.

According to the data available with the National AIDS Control

Organisation, the country has an estimated 5.1 million infections.

RAO said the government was serious in fighting AIDS. In this

connection, a meeting of all stakeholders would be held tomorrow to

take stock of the situation. PTI

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