Indian armed forces have 6,180 HIV/AIDS patients

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Indian armed forces have 6,180 HIV/AIDS patients

From correspondents in Delhi, India, 06:34 PM IST

Every day at least one member of the Indian armed forces is being

detected with HIV/AIDS.

'Every month we are getting 30 to 40 HIV/AIDS cases among our

personnel. Currently we have 6,180 HIV/AIDS patients among our ranks,

but the infection rate is lower than in civilians,' Lieutenant-

General Yogendra Singh, director general of the Armed Forces Medical

Services (AFMS), said here Saturday.

This year alone (by the end of November), 323 personnel of the three

armed forces - army, navy and air force - have been detected with the

HIV/AIDS. In 2006, health authorities had found 409 HIV positive

cases among the armed forces.

'We (the armed forces) have a strength of around 1.5 million. There

are mainly two ways through which these people are getting infected -

unsafe sex and injectible drug use. We have 10 centres across the

country to treat such personnel,' Singh told reporters.

Asked if the services of these personnel are terminated, he

said: 'There are four stages of the disease. If someone is in the

fourth stage and not eligible to serve the country, then his job is

terminated, but the rest get treatment and continue in the service.'

Singh said all those who are HIV positive are not in the last

stage. 'Maybe, around two percent of these personnel are in the last

stage.'

Lieutenant-General Saibal Mukherjee, Director General of Medical

Services (Army), said that the armed forces had reported 461 cases of

HIV/AIDS in 2005 and 475 in 2004.

'We are carrying out a massive information, education and

communication campaign among our personnel, and have certainly

achieved success. The trend is decreasing,' Mukherjee told IANS.

According to officials, the AFMS has undertaken many research

projects that include improved diagnostics and treatment, and control

modalities for tropical disease and HIV/AIDS.

'There are 10 immunodeficiency centres that are responsible for

providing latest treatment to these patients,' Mukherjee added.

India is home to 2.5 million HIV/AID patients, including 80,000

children below the age of 14.

Nine more armed forces hospitals are coming across the country and

plans are afoot to induct 10,590 new health professionals to meet

growing health demands and reduce doctors and patients ratio in the

defence service.

Currently, there were 127 armed forces hospitals and scores of

ambulances with emergency medical facilities attached to them.

http://www.indiaenews.com/health/20071229/88694.htm