Manipur: HIV infection rate shoots up

[Guest guest]

HIV infection rate shoots up

Imphal, August 24 2009: On the average, a new case of HIV infection is detected

every four hours in Manipur.

At this rate, the number of HIV infected people is increasing by 200 every

month.

A senior official of the Manipur AIDS Control Society (MACS) said that the

situation is really alarming, as a new case of HIV infection is detected every

four hours.

Saying that the new cases of HIV/AIDS infection can be detected because of

serious efforts put in by MACS and other NGOs working in coordination with MACS,

the official observed that the rate of HIV/AIDS communication in the State is

the highest in India.

The rate is comparable to that of Myanmar, he noted.

With the number of injecting drug users receding, sex workers and MSMs have

become the main agents of HIV/AIDS transmission.

To provide education facility under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to all those children

infected by HIV/AIDS, necessary measures have been initiated by MACS and

Education (S) Department, said another source.

The executive committee meeting of MACS scheduled on August 6 to discuss the

opening of community care centres at Senapati, Tamenglong and Ukhrul was

cancelled due to the curfew, said the source.

A new date would be fixed soon to discuss the same agenda, added the source.

Source: The Sangai Express

http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=2..250809.aug09

[Guest guest]

Dear Moderator,

Re: /message/10679

I am increasingly worried about the kind of mails that we now see on the AIDS

India . We have to be more responsible while reporting or flagging

off increase in infection rates etc in some states or falling of infection rates

in other states.

Information from newsstories is not a good source of information,

specially when we are reporting on such strategic information( as

infection rates) for states.

The country has a robust system of surveillance in place and the infection

rates state wise are reported annually/ biannually at the NACO website. We

should therefore use that as the most reliable source of information.

I would therefore urge a degree of caution to be exercised before we

bring such stories in the public spaces for dialogue.

Thanks

Jyoti Mehra Ph. D

Advisor, HIV and AIDS

Regional Office for South Asia

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

EP16/17 Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri,

New Delhi, India

Ph: 0091-11-42225015

Fax: 0091-11-24104962

Mob: 9818711525

jyoti.mehra@...

Please visit our website at: http://www.unodc.org/india/