Top UN AIDS official urges India not to waver in fight against epidemic

October 9, 2009

8 October 2009 – The role of India's political leadership is vital to ensure

that the country with the highest number of HIV-infected people in Asia achieves

its goals of universal access to prevention, care and treatment by 2010,

according to a top United Nations AIDS official.

Making his first visit to the world's second most populous country in his

official capacity, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Executive Director

Michel Sidibé met with Indians ministers and other officials, congratulating the

Government for the progress made in its response to HIV.

He praised the results achieved by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry and

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in expanding access to treatment

beyond targets and implementing programmes which are having a positive impact on

HIV transmission rates in the a country where an estimated 2.4 million people

are living with HIV.

Mr. Sidibé urged Dinesh Trivedi, India's Minister of State for Health, to guard

against complacency towards HIV in the face of other emerging challenges such as

H1N1 flu and climate change-related health issues. He appealed for India to

strengthen its role in the UNAIDS programmes and become a donor to UNAIDS in

view of the country's increased political and economic status in the world

community.

For every 100 people living with HIV in India, 61 are men and 39 women and

prevalence is high in the 15-49 age group. As in most of Asia, the epidemic is

concentrated among key populations at higher risk of HIV, such as sex workers,

drug injectors and homosexuals.

Mr. Sidibé expressed his support for the recent decision of a Delhi court to

annul Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized homosexuality, a

breakthrough for rights groups that strengthens the NACO's efforts to reach out

to people at higher risk of HIV, such as men who have sex with men and

trans-gendered people.

The Commission on AIDS in Asia, an independent body, has noted that India has

significantly increased domestic spending on HIV in recent years, accounting for

nearly 50 per cent of the country's total AIDS budget.

Recommended Posts