New High Prevalance areas as per NACO

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Dear FORUM,

Now there is new High Prevalance areas as per NACO.

Yashwinder Singh

e-mail: <yashwinder_80@...>

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More HIV infected at Ludhiana, Amritsar

Naveen S Garewal Tribune News Service. Chandigarh, April 1

The third phase of the National Aids Control Programme (NACO) starting this

month has brought hope of a comfortable and prelonged life with help of free

Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) to nearly 40,000 children between the age groups

of 0-15. Besides them, NACO proposes to bring another 3 lakh adults under the

free multi-drug regime during the third phase.

According to the results of the latest mapping of HIV prevalence in various

Indian states by NACO, 20 states have shown high-prevalence areas, a sign that

the epidemic is more widespread than was previously thought.

NACO has disclosed that as many as 163 districts in 20 Indian states have high

prevalence, belying earlier beliefs that the real threat from HIV was in some

southern states and parts of the northeast.

In order to reach a sizable number of HIV positive, NACO has increased its Art

centres to 120 from 56 during the second phase. During this phase of NACO’s

tirade against HIV, only 56000 people were treated at these centres. NACO’s

third phase that starts in April, 2007 will concentrate on curbing the epidemic

and aim at providing a comfort to the HIV positive. Studies on HIV patients in

the west suggest that a HIV-positive person typically contracts full-blown AIDS

in 5-10 years.

NACO proposes to spend about Rs 8000 annually on each of the patient selected

for free treatment.

The third phase of NACO which will be spread over the next five years till 2012

proposes to streamline the blood transfusion system across the country with

special emphasis on checking unauthorised blood banks.

According to NACO, in the high prevalence areas in northern India include New

Delhi and Chandigarh. In Punjab, Ludhiana and Amritsar districts have shown high

prevalence of HIV population, while in Haryana it is concentrated in Jhajjar.

Rajasthan’s Jhalawar and Ganganagar also fall in the “A” category.

Incidentally, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have no high-prevalence

district, according to statements issued by NACO’s Director General Sujatha Rao.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070402/punjab1.htm#6