Re: Lok Sabha Statement about the latest situation of HIV/AIDS in India

February 28, 2008

Dear Friends,

The National AIDS Control organisation site says An HIV-infected person

receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS

indicator illnesses. An HIV positive person who has not had any serious

illnesses also can receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests

(CD4+ counts).

A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of

AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical criteria (e.g. AIDS indicator

illnesses).

If this is true then the couple of hundreds reported to have AIDS in last three

years look a little surprising to me. As per NACO again the govt provides

treatment to 1 million patients with cd4<200(AIDS) and the numbers in Punjab are

in thousands even in Amritsar.

The number of patients seen by Private sector are different. If take the

argument that those taking ART are not " AIDS patients " as they are only HIV and

only those with symtoms of TB, Toxo, crypto, CMV ,maliganacies are counted as

AIDS then do ART centers keep a note of this.

Well I do not know but I think we are trying see the situation as if it is

hardly any problem. The ambiguity of HIV and AIDS need to be cleared as well to

those manning ART centers also while giving datas.

By the above figures anyone will think that AIDS does not need that much

attention as being given to it. If 200 odd patients are suffereing from a

disease out of one billion ( I think that is Punjab's population) then spending

crores make no sense-better give money in equal proportions to the sufferers and

they will survive--why all this hulla gulla

Dr.Rakesh Bharti

Rakesh Bharti MD,AAHIVS,

BDC Research center,

27-D,Sant Avenue,The Mall,Amritsar.

Punjab,INDIA143001.

TEl-91-183-2277822;91-183-2278522

e-mail: <rakesh.bharti1@...>

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