UNAIDS top head to visit India, meet PM

[Guest guest]

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) On his first trip to India, the head of UNAIDS will meet

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior ministers to emphasize India's

continued support against HIV and AIDS.

Michel Sidibe, the executive director of UNAIDS, will arrive Oct 7 in India and

will also visit Mumbai and Bangalore.

" The visit is to recognize and support the achievements of India's AIDS

response. He will also discuss progress made towards achieving the goal of

universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support as well as the

Millennium Development Goals in India, " a statement issued here by UNAIDS said.

During his six-day visit, Sidibe will focus on maintaining and sustaining

India's response at a time of global economic and financial turmoil and when

many other health and development challenges compete for attention and

resources.

Sidibe, who is also under secretary-general of the United Nations, will meet the

prime minister, who is head of the National Council on AIDS formed in 2005. The

aim will be to monitor progress made by health agencies in preventing the spread

of HIV in India. The date of the meeting is yet to be confirmed.

The UN official will also meet Fernandes, who heads the Parliamentarians

Forum on HIV/AIDS.

Sidibe will also meet representatives from the private sector, civil society,

people living with HIV and UN agencies.

" His visit will be instrumental in re-instilling the need for comprehensive HIV

programming to include treatment, care and prevention. His visit also has an

important regional context, as one half of Asia's estimated people living with

HIV and AIDS are Indian, " the statement said.

Approximately 5.2 million people in South Africa and 2.6 million in Nigeria

suffer from HIV/AIDS, followed by 2.3 million in India.

Gilks, UNAIDS country coordinator, had earlier told IANS: " His

(Sidibe's) visit will focus on the need for sustained support to the programmes

by the Indian government. "

" If finances are not available for fighting HIV and AIDS, there is a fear that

the epidemic might return. Globally, so much money has been spent. All this

could be a waste and many lives will be lost if we become complacent now, " he

added.

According to UNAIDS, there were around 33 million HIV positive people globally,

while there were 2.7 million new infections and 2.0 million deaths from AIDS in

2007.

UNAIDS works closely with the Indian government, NGOs, community groups and

people living with HIV to increase access to HIV prevention and treatment

services, with a special focus on those most at risk.

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