India Leads World in HIV Cases: G.A. Feachem,

[Guest guest]

India Leads World in HIV Cases

Thursday September 16, 7:42 PM

India has the world's largest number of HIV-infected

people, the head of a top international AIDS-fighting

fund said Wednesday, dismissing official figures.

" I don't believe in the official statistics. India is

already in first place, " said G.A. Feachem,

executive director of the Geneva-based Global Fund to

Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Latest U.N. data show the HIV virus has infected 5.6

million people in South Africa and 5.1 million in

India. But Feachem said he and many other experts

believe India's actual figure is much higher,

surpassing South Africa's.

The official estimate leaves out many people in this

vast country of 1.03 billion who could be carrying the

virus without knowing or reporting it, he said.

" I won't put a figure on it. I will simply say it is

considerably more than 5.1 million, " he said. " I am

happy to be wrong. But I think I will proved right,

soon. "

Feachem called the Indian epidemic " on an African

trajectory ... and incidence of HIV/AIDS is rising

rapidly. "

Indian government officials were not immediately

available for comment. New Delhi has rejected such

fears in the past, saying its HIV/AIDS prevention

program is making good progress and the number of new

cases has stabilized.

Earlier this month, the federal health minister said

he is ready to commission an independent body,

including foreign agencies, to compile HIV data in

India.

In recent years the government has stepped up efforts

to fight the disease. Several international donor

agencies are pumping millions of dollars into anti-HIV

programs.

Still, the response is " way short of what is necessary

to turn around the epidemic, " said Feachem, who was in

New Delhi to discuss ways to increase the Global

Fund's contribution to India's AIDS fight.

The fund has already committed $265 million in aid to

the Indian government, and now plans to pledge

anti-AIDS funds to corporations and nongovernment

organizations.

During Feachem's three-day visit, which started

Wednesday, he is to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh, other officials, business leaders and advocacy

groups to discuss pledging more to fighting AIDS here.

________________________________

India sitting on a time bomb

IANS [ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2004 05:18:38 PM ]

NEW DELHI: According to G A Feachem, executive director of the Global

Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, " India has the 5.1 million HIV

positive people and could become another South Africa or Botswana where the

disease has turned into an epidemic.

The Geneva-based financial organisation is among the five largest bodies

dedicated to funding the fight against AIDS. It also focuses on tuberculosis and

malaria through its 300 programmes in 130 countries including India.

Expressing lack of faith in the official statistics given the shortcomings in

data collection and surveillance mechanism worldwide, Feachem said there was an

informal pact among experts that estimates for India and China were too low.

" HIV/AIDS is a ticking time bomb. The size of the epidemic will be huge unless

India steps up its programme. The delay is dangerous, " said Feachem, here on a

five-day fact-finding mission and to prevail on the government, civil societies

and corporates to step up efforts to battle AIDS.

Feachem urged the Indian leaders to look closely at South Africa to get a vision

of the future.

" India may seem to be 10 to 15 years behind but the future looks like South

Africa and Botswana. I still don't see the full realisation of the reality

here, " said Feachem, an epidemiologist.

In just two and a half years of its operation, Global Fund has so far committed

$8 billion for its five-year programmes in 130 countries.

India has so far received commitment for $413 million from Global Fund, with the

lion's share of $265 million for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in the

high-prevalent states.

He expressed satisfaction with the pace of the tuberculosis programme, for which

Global Fund has contributed $64 million.

Feachem also hoped that the $69 million allocation to battle malaria and $265

million for AIDS would be utilised well to step up the national programme to

fight the three diseases that kill millions every year.

He said he would raise the issue of stepping up government funding for the AIDS

programme.

Failure to take action on a large scale would make later action more difficult

and expensive, he warned.

He sought a larger role for civil societies, NGOs and corporates to fight the

spread of AIDS.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/853002.cms

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Further information on the Net:

United Nations AIDS project:

http://www.unaids.org

Indian government National AIDS Control Organization:

http://www.nacoonline.org/

___________________

Greetings

Huynhdo

E-mail: huynhdophi@...>