HIV prevalence in Manipur reaches alarming rate

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Imphal, June 15: As the prevalence of HIV is increasing at an alarming rate, the

government of Manipur has requested the Union ministry of health and family

welfare to expedite release of the funds/schemes related with the control of the

disease in the state through National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).

Manipur is one of the six high HIV prevalence states of the country. As per the

National Family Health Survey (NFHS0-3, the HIV prevalence is 1.3 percent. The

data based on actual testing of 271,000 persons is much worse. It showed a HIV

prevalence of 11% in the state, a government source said.

Given the need for uninterrupted implementation of the HIV/AIDS control

programme, government of Manipur has requested the National, AIDS Control

Organization (NACO) to release the full amount for the current year, as a

special case, the official source said.

NACO had released only Rs 4 crore during 2008-09 out of the approved action plan

2008-09 of Rs 26.27 crore.

In the meantime, the state government has also decided to the constituted

District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit (DAPCU) at the district level. The

decision of the government is considering the rapid scale up of HIV intervention

programme and as per NACO intimation on July 2008 for giving envisages in the

establishment of control units at district level and intensifies the control

measures.

To ensure appropriate management of the fund coming to DAPCU, a committee has to

be constituted with deputy commissioner of each district as chairman and chief

medical officer as vice-chairman.

Medical superintendent of district hospital of each district, district HIV/AIDS

Control officer, and other related with health and control of HIV/AID at the

district level will be the members.

While opening the DACPU, district AIDS officers (Manipur Health Service

Grade-III) is all the districts as per cadre strength of MHS and their services

will be utilized as district HIV/AIDS control officer, the source maintained.

Manipur ranks third highest as regarding the total number of HIV positive cases

next to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu states of the country. The disease becomes a

major public health problem in the state since 1990.

HIV prevalence is highest among women whose spouses were employed in the

transport industry. In Manipur and Nagaland, HIV prevalence is the highest among

women whose spouses are industry/factory workers.

Prevalence among injecting drug users is 8.71%; it is 5.69% among MSMs (in

selected southern and northeastern states it has remained at an average of

around 10% for the past few years) and 5.38% for female sex workers (FSWs).

In 2006, HIV prevalence among mothers attending antenatal clinics (a measure of

HIV prevalence in the general population) is more than 1% in 118 districts.

Eighty-one districts have an HIV prevalence of more than 5% in one or more of

the high risk groups.

The HIV epidemic in the north-eastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland

continues unabated. In 2006, HIV seropositivity among pregnant women was 1.39%,

1.36% and 0.94% in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram respectively.

Although HIV prevalence among IDUs in Manipur has declined over the years, all

four IDU sentinel surveillance sites in Manipur still have HIV prevalence of

more than 10%. In addition, HIV prevalence a

mo ng sex workers appears to be increasing in Nagaland and Mizoram .

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