India gets better regarding AIDS
It is known that India, owing to several social and health factors, is exceedingly vulnerable to AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. What is the existing situation then? Has it gone down further? Well, if look into the most recent statement of the Government of India, it seems that the overall situation has developed to some extent.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Health Minister of the Central Government of India, while speaking on the occasion of World AIDS Day, stated, "In 2002, over 27 lakh (2.7 million) people in India were HIV positive. The number has gone down to 23 lakh (2.3 million) in 2007. We have reduced the number by over 400, 000." There is hardly any doubt that this is a notable achievement for the reason that India is home to 2.3 million HIV positive people, third in terms of absolute numbers in the world. Well, South Africa and Nigeria are the top two countries in this regard.
"AIDS is not spreading like earlier. It is stable now. Earlier, over 350,000 people were getting infected every year but for the last two years the new infections have reduced to 2 lakh to 2.5 lakh," Ajay Khera, Assistant Director General of the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) told IANS . In accordance with him, the huge investment to deal with HIV/AIDS and the extensive awareness drive were strategic in mobilizing people against the dreaded disease. "The life span of HIV positive people has increased due to medical intervention and the use of condoms has also increased. These factors are primarily responsible for such a positive change," Khera added. However, as per his provided info, in excess of 200,000 people are dying in India on account of AIDS each year.
On the word of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), India has 5,000 counselling centres and these are meant only for HIV positive people. Among these, in the region of 200 are providing treatments to infected people. More than 240,000 people, at the moment, are under anti-retro viral treatment.
By » frg on 2009-12-02 17:24:23