WHO to Govt: Give us AIDS toll count first

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WHO to Govt: Give us AIDS toll count first

TOUFIQ RASHID

Posted online: Sunday, June 05, 2005 at 0114 hours IST

NEW DELHI, JUNE 4: Figures show fewer HIV/AIDS cases are being

reported in the country but international organisations like WHO and

UNAIDS want the Government to come up with the number of deaths due

to the disease first. Besides, they point out that the decrease in

reporting of cases over the years is anything but drastic.

``India does not have figures of deaths due to HIV/AIDS so far. So

we don't know what the new infections are,'' said F. del

Prado, deputy UNAIDS country coordinator.

In what seemed to be positive news, only 28,000 new cases of

HIV/AIDS in the country were cited in 2004, compared to 5.2 lakh new

cases in 2003. But experts said the figures cannot be

compared. ``You can compare when you know all other figures,'' said

del Prado. ``You have to have the figures for number of deaths to

make a comparison,'' he added. ``It is about time we have these

figures in the country.''

UNAIDS and WHO insist that the ``new infections are 28,000 plus the

number of deaths due to the disease''. In a communique issued

jointly by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the two

organisations have reinterpreted the HIV data released on May 25.

The communique clarifies that last year's figure of 5.134 million

people living with HIV/AIDS cannot be compared with the estimates of

the previous year, when the figure was 5.1 million, as the

methodology used to arrive at the estimates has changed.

``Although we stand by the 5.134 million figure given by the

Government, there are reports which have quoted 95 per cent disease

in the number of new cases. We want to make it clear that though

AIDS cases in India are reducing, there is no drastic decrease,''

said Dr. Salim Habayeb, WHO representative to India.

The Government agrees. ``There are no estimates for the number of

deaths due to HIV in the country. The numbers with us are not

proper. But the Government is not doing the sentinel surveillance to

see whether there is an increase or decrease, as numbers in HIV are

not important. The surveillance is done for better programme

management,'' said P.K. Hota, Secretary Health.

WHO and UNAIDS have maintained that HIV prevalence continues to

increase in India. `` There are major inter-state and inter-district

disparities. The figure of 0.92 per cent prevalence in the adult

population is a national average and some districts have more than 4

per cent of the adults infected,'' the joint statement says.

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