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AIDS INDIA eFORUM
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/

"WORLD CONGRESS ON HIV IN WOMEN", In Nagpur, India

14th to 16th November 2008

INVITATION :

Dear Colleagues,

On the behalf of the organizing committee it is our proud privilege
to invite you for the WORLD CONGRESS ON HIV IN WOMEN which has been
organised by FOGSI in collaboration with South Asia Federation of
Obstetrics & Gynecology (SAFOG)

Important Dates

Last date for Early Registration August 31, 2008
Last date for receipt of Abstract September 30, 2008
Last date for Accommodation Request October 30, 2008
Last date for Cancellation Request October 30, 2008
Last date for receiving Power Point Presentation October 30, 2008
Last date for Quiz Entry  October 15, 2008


Address for Correspondance

Dr. Laxmi Shrikhande
Organising Secretary

SHRIKHANDE LASER & ENDOSCOPY CENTER

528, Hanunman nagar,Manewada Road,
Nagpur -440009(M.S.)

Mob. no.:+91-9822227600
Ph. +91-0712-2740958/2740184

Email : slaxmi2002@... ,anilaxmi1@...
info@..., organisingsecretary@...
Website: www.worldcongressonhiv.com

Dear Dr. Maniar and the FORUM,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593

Greetings and Thank you for your concern and findings.
 
NACP 3 has completely planned on reaching people living with HIV AIDS with
treatment in different categorised states.
But research in to such drug issues need to be strengthened as part of NACP 3
plans. More so, the ART impact in the lives of children living with HIV AIDS
needs to be given adequate importance in improving the quality of life of kids
to enjoy their childhood.
 
Also the ART Centers should provide adequate counseling in leading quality life
without ART as long as their physical conditions support, unfortunately people
living with HIV approaching ART centers are provided with ART even though their
CD 4 level and physical conditions are good enough.
 
We wish NACO will take appropriate measures to validate this finding and bring
in changes to the policy and guidelines in providing treatment services for
people living with HIV AIDS and their children.
 
regards

Jeyapaul Sundar Singh
e-mail: budsofchrist@...

Dear Forum and Dr Maniar,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593


What I am telling is what happened to me under Dr Micheal Saag, and since he
does keep us patients informed as to what is happening to us, I will repeat of
what happened to me. But  it is a single case; mine.

In 1999, in Birmingham, Alabama, I was put on didanosine ddi EC 400mg , combovir
(lamiduvine/zidovudine 150mg/300mg) and efarvirenz 600mg.

I had recently had HPV virus- caused- cancer, and had a permanent colostomy bag
put on after.

I took all my medicines as prescribed, everyday.

In 2006, I had a bad case of neuropathy on my feet and extremities and the
sensitivity test showed that none of the medicines were effective anymore.

Next Dr Saag  tried Truvada(emtricitabine/tenofovir 200mg/300 TDF),   and 
zidovudine 300mg along with ritonovir.

I had lacticacidiosis and Dr Saag stopped all medications for two weeks or a
month till my liver recovered.  Dr Saag did get mad at me for refusing to take
Fuzeon as he had suggested earlier.

It was then that I went on Fuzeon (enfuritide 90mg twice a day),
along with saquanavir mesylate 4x200mg plus one 100mg plus ritonovir booster.

The whole procedure was cumbersome and I was afraid if I moved to India, I might
develop infection from needle pricks and contaminated water,  and had to wait
till all solid enfuride would dissolve in before injecting it.

So as soon as raltegravir came out, I asked to be put on a trial and with
saquanavir and   ritonovir booster (Dr Saag's combination).

The only good think is that whereas my viral load had never dropped to below 200
copies, it did, after I started raltegravir trial, and it has remained there
(<50 copies)for over a year now.

If a single case has any validity (I am a statistician) then I am presenting my
case.

Sincerely,

Priyadarshi Datta.
e-mail: <pdatta@...>

Dear All,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593
 
Without commenting on the usefulness(or otherwise) of continutation or
modification of any extant ÂART regimen,I would request all to keep the
principle of basing our decisions on 'evidence' only.

Anecdotal data does have an important  role but it is largely a properly sampled
data (of appropriate sample size) analysed for statistical significance which
forms concrete and adequate evidence to modify the guidelines.

We must analyse the information from the ART centres/physicians managing AIDS
patients,initiate multi-centric studies and carry out metanalysis to ensure
early and appropriate modifications.

Best wishes,
 
Dr.Rajesh Gopal.

Dr. Rajesh  Gopal,MD
Joint  Director,
Gujarat  State  AIDS  Control  Society (GSACS),
O/1 Block, New  Mental Hospital  Complex,
Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad,
Gujarat. PIN 380016
Phone (O) 079-22680211--12--13,22685210 Fax 079-22680214
e-mail: <dr_rajeshg@...>

Dear Moderator and the Group:

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593

Working off the impressions I gather from the postings made by Dr. Maniar, I
have 3 questions for the clinicians on this list serve:
 
1. To clinicians in the non government / private sector: What percentage of PLHA
that come to you for clinical services are truly ART naive, ie; have not been
exposed to any of the anti retrovirals?

2. To the clinicians / program officials in the National AIDS Control Program:
What percentage of PLHA that come to the ART centres are truly ART naive, ie;
have not been exposed to any of the anti retrovirals? If there is history of
exposure to the one or more of the anti-retrovirals (irrrespective of
combination / duration), is there a treatment triage done for probability of
drug resistance?
 
3. To both sets of clinicians: Do you factor in the presence of Tuberculosis as
a treatment modifier? And for those that have TB, what percentage of PLHA are TB
treatment naive, ie; not exposed to any prior TB treatments?
 
Thank you for your responses.
 
Warm regards,
 
Dr. Bobby John

Global Health Advocates / Center for Sustainable Health & Development
e-mail: bj@...

Dear Forum

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593

The mail by one of our most respected HIV physician of India should be seen
seriously.
 
But I feel the information available in this message is very limited and Dr
Maniar will publish the data in a peer reviewed journal soon and thus will get
scrutinised by peers. Also this will help is disseminating this information into
the scientific community and the rest of the world.

Personally i feel it is good practice to go to media and forums like this after
a  scrutiny. (I write this with an impression that this information is not
published). If published or submitted I request Dr Maniar to disseminate the
detailed data so that people like me can be more informed.

This responce is no way meant to see the information given by respected Dr
Maniar as inferior .
 
Regards
 
Dr Ajith

Dr Ajithkumar.K

Asst Professor In Dermatology and Veneriology
Medical college Chest Hospital
MG Kav, Trichur, Kerala, India
Ph 04872333322 (res) 9447226012
e-mail: <ajisudha@...>

Dear Moderator,
 
Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9604

This is in reference to Dr.S.Murugan with regards to d4t contain regimen is
highly exagerated by western journalist and clinician. Moreover ABC,TDF and FTC
are not within the reach of pvt and govt. patient.

I am not Doctor, but i have seen many of my friends with d4t disrupting their
quality of life. They may still have respectable CD4 count and undetectable
viral load, but many of them suffer the side effect of lypodystrophy, it's not
life threathening but it surely deshaping their face and other part of the body.

I have a friends who runs a cosmetic shops, but he don't want to sit in his shop
as people often ask him, "what happen to your sunken face?" His life is not
threathening but he lives the life of embarrassment and always want to be away
from people. This certainly is not the goal of ARV.

The goal of ARV is not just bring down the VL and push up CD4 count but also "To
improve the quality of life" Yet people on d4t their life is not threathening
but certainly compromise of the quality of life.

I have many friends from the west, but none of them are on d4t and very very
very few on AZT.I don't think this just because someone exageration but there
are ample studies on d4t and AZT side effect- a scientific and evidence base
info.

More over Indian Generic Pharma Co. produced a varieties of ARVs, why should we
continue to use those outdate ARVs like d4t and AZT?

We always claim India is "pharmacy of the developing countries" but we continue
to prescribe and take, the lowest,cheapest and nasties ARVs. Why?
 
Indian PLHIV  wants to live a productive and quality live not with sunken face
or elephant hump. Down with d4t and AZT. Time for newer drugs for Indian PLHIV.
 
Thanks Dr. Maniar for bring up this important issue.
 
Regards,

Loon Gangte

on AZT/3TC/NVP for the last 6 years.
e-mail: <dnpplus@...>

Dear members of AIDS INDIA,

This is to inform you all that a limited number of printed copies of
Asian AIDS Commission Report: "Redefining AIDS in Asia is available.

Some of you have contributed to the e_Consultation on Asian AIDS
Commission Report: "Redefining AIDS in Asia – Crafting an effective
response", requested for hard copies of the report for your review.

The UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific has
informed us that they are willing to mail copies of report to the
subscribers of this FROUM so that they could contribute to the
ongoing e_Consultation on Asian AIDS Commission Report: "Redefining
AIDS in Asia – Crafting an effective response",

The details of the e_Consultation on Asian AIDS Commission
Report: "Redefining AIDS in Asia – Crafting an effective response",
is available on the following web link

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/message/1292

A free electronic version of the report is available form the
following url

http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/20080326_report_commission_aids_en.pdf

If you would like to receive a printed copy of the report Asian AIDS
Commission Report: "Redefining AIDS in Asia – Crafting an effective
response", please reply to this message with your mailing address.

Thank you for your attention

Editor

AIDS ASIA e FORUM
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS_ASIA/

Dear Forum
 
HIV/AIDS shoul  not  be a program at urban level alone. Tackle it  with rural 
based   programs like awareness camps, check ups,  HIV  HIV testing.

There are increasing incidents of HIV from Ujjain MP. One NGO could facilitate 
one Self Help Group fr HIV testing and to   know  their  HIV status. Later 
whole  village  may get  ready  for the HIV test.  If  this  model is applied in
the villages where  people with high HIV vulnerability are  residing  then we
can uproot it  from the  society.
 
Now new AIDS  cases are  coming  out  more  from the  villages. By that  time 
the  patient  might  have infected the  family.

Saathi Ujjain  is  working  in Mehidpur. This  is  known for truckers area.
More  than 4000 drivers are  moving  here and there  from Mehidpur.  Now  Saathi
had registered many cases  from this  area.  It is  mainly  from the  high risk
groups( Drivers group-  sorry)
 
Now a days  people are fed up  with HIV AIDS  awareness programs. So they stop
to say  about  the  reason and  roots of transmission to  the  people.  They
directly talk about  ARTs,  but, what about the  poor illitrate  villages (My
thoughts  and obsseravtion are based on rural population of MP state). If 70%
people are in  villages in India, then  we we should  not stop to talk about 
AIDS to the  people  in  the  villages.
 
If we do a survey among the NGOs VOs who conduct  awareness programs  in the 
villages, many feel that  it is  futile to talk to the  villages. We must talk
about HIV and  AIDS  all the  places. Dont  laugh at the  people  who talk about
it.

I invite all the  people  to know  about  the  basics  of  HIV and teach the
people. I challange you. How many of  your  friends know  about basic of HIV?
each them.
 
When TB program is  launched please try to  club the AIDS awareness programs 
with that. So that  you reach the  people(70%) easily.
 
John Thomas

Bhopal School of Social Sciences
e-mail: <tom4youall@...>

Dear Moderator,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593

This is with reference to Dr Maniar's warning to HIV Physicians.
He may be correct in his predictions.But in my opinion with regards to
d4T containing regimen is highly exaggerated by western journals,
clinicians as well as our physicians as an outdated one.

I am treating my patients in my private clinic with ART since 1999 onwards and
follow-up hundreds of HIV patients who are taking ART from Govt. ART centers as
a consultant to many NGOs.

To my experience, situation forced me to stop the d4T, 3TC, NVP combinations
were very very few.

Disfigurement due to lypodystrophy is not a lifethreatening
condition. Severe peripheral neuritis which warrents for a switch
over also with a handful of cases only in our patients. But for the
resistance acquired with some longterm patients who are on this
combinations more than 4-5 years,this combinations are working well
in controlling viral load and regaining immunity.

Dyslipidimia and dysfigurement in our poor patients where there are not much
options and rare Lactic acidosis are not warrantig us to switch over often.

Whereas drugs like AZT and NVP poses more severe life threatening
illness like bone marrow depression, very severe anaemia,
thrombocytopenia with AZT and severe liver failure with NNRTIs
warrant the physician to stop the drugs immediately.

Moreover, Abacavir, Teofovir, Emtricitacin are not within the reach of our
patients both in private and Govt.set up as far as our country is concerned.

About raltegravir ,we canot dream for it at present. It has
to be introduced in the Indian market and should be within the reach
our patients.

So in a country like ours and for our patients still d4T Combinations should not
be forgotton as a first line of drugs.

Dr. S.Murugan
e-mail: <muruganyes@...>

Dear Friends,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9593

I am afraid, although I do not have Dr. Maniar's level of experience, yet the
number of my patients on ART for last more than 4-5 years has started piling up
in terms of complications(as enumerated by Dr. Maniar).

Surely we are now heading towards a direction where we shall be left with
costlier regimens and lesser experience with them eg TDF. God forbid if you have
more HIV 2 than the treatment will be more cumbersum in all possible ways.

Can we do a sort of interplay of drugs for ARV naive patients---d4T for first 2
years, replaced by AZT for next 2 years and then TDF --the drugs to build the
regime of 3 ARV's around.

Can we try to force pharma industry to bring down the prices further.

Can NACO provide all types of trainings and drugs and involve experience of
people like Dr.Maniar at national level and like me at state level--who have
taken care of minimum few thousand PLHA already over more than a decade and a
half now.

Rakesh Bharti

Dr.Rakesh Bharti,
Bharti Derma Care and Research center,
27-D,Sant Avenue,The Mall,
Amritsar143001,Punjab INDIA
Email-rakesh.bharti1@...
9814044213  / 01832277822 /01832278522

Dear friends,

I recently did a movie review of a series of short films produced by
Mira Nair's Mirabai films production house on HIV-AIDS in India. These
are available online at http://www.jaman.com/aidsjaago

Since the movies are of short duration, these can be useful in trainings to
bring out issues related to vulnerabilities, gender, stigma, discrimination,
ethics etc.

Find below the movie review as well- an edited version appears in the Indian
Journal of Medical Ethics at http://ijme.in/164fr193.html
________

AIDS JaaGO: Four cinematic short films on HIV-AIDS

Produced by NRI film director Mira Nair's company Mirabai
Films, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, AIDS Jaago is a
collection of four short movies on HIV-AIDS in contemporary India. Directed by
leading and acclaimed directors, these short movies fall in the middle zone
between public awareness ad campaigns and documentaries or feature films.

Utilizing leading actors as characters, these short movies aim to do public
education on a major public health issue in the country.

Without the trappings of concerns of producers about box office success and
profits (as its bankrolled by the Foundation), the directors would be expected
to utilize the cinematic medium to illustrate issues creatively, while keeping
mass appeal in
mind.

Blood Brothers helmed by Vishal Bharadwaj stars Siddhartha
Suryanarayab as a young advertising executive Arjun Dutt who is living a
successful face paced life. As part of a (presumably) routine blood test, he is
told by his doctor he has tested HIV positive. Distraught that he has put his
life and the life of his son and pregnant wife at risk through an extra-marital
fling, he runs away from home to roam the streets. Beaten in a fight, eccentric
doctor Dr. Bhootnath (Pankaj Kapur) rescues him and gets a re-test which shows
Arjun is not really HIV positive. It's a case of mistaken identities and Arjun
tries to reconcile with his family and explores a way to communicate the results
to the other Arjun Dutt who got tested at the same time.

It's a bit strange to contemplate why there was no confirmatory test in the
first place, and how easy it is for Arjun to find his blood-brother through
bribing the clinic guard, but then the sensibilities are drawn from Bollywood,
and anything is possible. Sensitive portrayals by the lead actors; and Pankaj
Kapur in a brief role is a delight as the gruffy straight talking doctor.

Positive, directed by Farhan Akhtar focuses on the turmoil in a family where the
flirtatious photographer husband Mr. Soni (Boman Irani) has trysts with his
models, his wife (Shabana Azmi) refusing to acknowledge the lies she is told,
and the son (Krish Chawla as the young Abhijit and Arjun Mathur as the older
one) is caught in between.

Wanting to distance himself from his dysfunctional family, Abhijit moves to
South Africa for higher studies, but is brought back by a phone call from his
mother informing him about his father having AIDS. The rest of the film deals
with the conflicts and anguish
which arise between father and son, and son and mother, and ensuing
reconciliation as they deal with the illness. It' s a bit surprising to see Mr.
Soni move from diagnosis to death in a few months.

Power packed performances though, and strong on exploring emotional upheavals
which can happen in a family when HIV strikes. Laudably the film also brings out
realistic issues such as insurance company refusal to cover hospital care for a
HIV patient.

Prarambha is the only one of the lot which is in a regional
language- Kannada. I found it to be the best. Santosh Sivan tells the story of a
young kid Kittu whose mother has left him a couple of years ago. Searching for
his mom through a letter he got with a city address, he hitches a ride with a
truck driver. The building of the bond between the two, and the sense of social
isolation the young kid feels on losing his mom and being ostracized and thrown
out of school (as he is HIV-positive too) is sensitively brought out.

The attempted failed reunion with the mother, who refuses to acknowledge her son
(for his own good as she says) while she is dying of AIDS in the hospital, and
the struggles of re-admission in the school for Kittu illustrate social stigma
effectively.

Mirroring the Kerala case where HIV positive children were thrown out of school,
the complexities of morality, parental insecurities and
misinformation, role of law and media are all touched upon. Prabhu Deva as the
street-smart truck driver Puttaswamy Gowda and Skandhar as the innocent Kittu
portray believable characters the viewer connects with.

Migration, directed by Mira Nair herself packs many tracks in a short time.
Dealing with the issue of drought instigated migration, it
brings farmer Birju (Shiney Ahuja) to Mumbai. Working at a Construction site (in
a rain-drenched Mumbai which looks beautiful on screen), he encounters
intimacy-starved housewife Divya (Sameera Reddy) who is caught in a loveless
marriage, and hounded by a suspicious and controlling mother-in-law. The husband
Abhay (Irrfan Khan), a closet gay, does not have the courage to be honest with
his wife about his inclination, and it is actually his frustrated male partner
who brings an end to the relationship.

Exposing the dirt underneath the external normal surface in middle-class India,
as she did in Monsoon Wedding too, is Mira Nair's forte.

This includes using the pregnancy as cure to all problems in a marriage theme.
Birju returns to his village, gets his wife Yamuna (Raima Sen) pregnant, but
also infects her and their newborn child with HIV.

It's unfortunate the director did not use the opportunity to highlight
ante-natal testing, and possibility of Prevention of
Parent to Child Transmission. The disclosure of the diagnosis by the nurse
immediately after delivery also seems inexplicable, without any kind of consent
and discussion. All the portrayals in Migration bring out a myriad of emotions,
from guilt to suppressed emotions, and human wants.

The short movies are a very good attempt at exploring the human side of
HIV-AIDS. One however gets the feeling that the audience these
movies are made for is primarily an urban one. The central characters are
primarily male, and it would have been good if at least one of the movies
focused more in detail on trials and tribulations of the effect of HIV on women.
Released in 2007, these short films seem to have mainly been in the festival
circuit, and some slots on news channels, and available online at Jaman, an
online movie library.

One hopes they will be open to a larger audience soon. Perhaps, next time we
will also see other diseases getting some focus in the able hands of leading
directors.

Best wishes,

Anant

Anant Bhan
E-MAIL: <dranantbhan@...>

Dear Colleagues,

The Press Council of India under the mandate of Section 13(2)(b) of
the Press Council Act, 1978 has built up a set of guidelines to
facilitate the functioning of the Media. Of these, the guidelines on
coverage of HIV/AIDS related matters was drawn up in the year 1993.

In pursuance of revision of these guidelines, the Council worked with
UNAIDS, media persons and activists in the field to update the
guidelines on HIV/AIDS reporting as the matter has undergone sea
change since 1993. The core group held two workshops on September 18,
2008 and October 10, 2008 to discuss and formulate the draft
guidelines to recommend to the Council.

A large number of professionals were also consulted electronically. The Press
Council has deliberated on the draft guidelines formulated by the core group and
has finalized and approved the new guidelines.

The revised guidelines can be accessed at
http://www.ngogateway.org/ngo/handle/123456789/716

Best regards,
Ranjan

Ranjan Dwivedi
Technical Advisor, UNAIDS
A2/35 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi, India-110029
Tel  :+91-11-41354545 Ext 317
Fax :+91-11-41354534
e-mail: dwivedir@...

Web: www.unaids.org.in
www.ngogateway.org

Dear FORUM,

Few More Vacancies for Stepping Stones Training Program in India (Last Date
extended to 5th Nov 2008)
 
Working with communities on the issues of gender, sexuality and HIV/AIDS
requires constant innovation and participatory approach.

Stepping Stones is one such training method which can be applied all sections of
population irrespective of language, culture or education.

The training aims to equip the participants with communication skills,
relationship skills, Gender, Sexuality and Reproductive Health Rights. It has
been specifically adapted for social and cultural situations.

The training provides an opportunity to look into the very core and essence of
individual, social/community issues and at the same time also provides a
platform to voice their opinion, share their perspective in groups. Further it
helps to arrive at multiple solutions borne out of varying perspectives for the
issue at hand.

The Stepping Stones methodology can be used with any age and gender
group.Stepping Stones is a methodology, which originally was developed to
address the core issue of HIV/AIDS in Buwenda village, Uganda ( Africa ).

But later in the course of its work module evolved addressing many more issues
e.g. communication skills, relationship skills, gender, Sexuality etc. It is a 
participatory, adult learning programme rather than lectures. It is full of
group activities rather than seminars.

Stepping Stones believes in fission-fusion methodology, where women & men
discuss separately and then learn from each other through fusion.

This has been proved to be very effective both in building perspective as well
as behavior change.
 
Stepping Stones is a module developed by Strategies for Hope Trust, a UK based
organization, Written by Dr. Alice Welbourne with support and input from Action
Aid International.  Today it is being used by many organizations from African
and Asia Pacific regions

Centre for Youth Development and Activities (CYDA) organizes training programs
for facilitators in Hindi and English for people who are interested in getting
trained as facilitators. So far CYDA has trained over 250 facilitators from 15
countries all over the world. Those who are interested please write for more
information to cyda@...

Seats Available for Hindi program 8 (21-29 Nov in Raipur )
Seats available for English Program 7 (5-15 Dec in Bangalore )
 
Sincerely
 
Mathew Mattam

CYDA
4, Vasanttara, Near Hotel Surya,
Above Udyam Vikas Sahakari Bank,
Off. Ghole Road ,  Deccan , Pune- 411004.
Maharashtra,  INDIA


Tele: 020-25533168 Mobile :0-9373308126
Email: cyda@... or cydaindia@...
Website: www.cydaindia.org

New TB vaccine offers glimmer of hope to HIV positive people

Jaya Shreedhar

It can reduce the risk of HIV-infected people falling sick with TB.

A new Tuberculosis vaccine that can reduce the risk of HIV-infected people
falling sick with TB, has been developed by a U.S. National Institutes of
Health-sponsored trial in Dar-es-Salaam. Announcing the results of the �Dar
Dar’ trial of the prime boost Mycobacterium vaccae (MV) vaccine at the 39th
Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris recently, Executive Director of
the International Union Against TB and Lung Diseases (IUATLD) Nils Billo said
the re sults were among “the most exciting and promising for people living
with HIV in recent times.

The trial was a collaboration between the Muhimbili University of Health and
Allied Sciences in Tanzania and the U.S. Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) and
cited by the investigators as a fine example of North-South cooperation in
responding to an international health problem.

The seven-year study enrolled about 2,000 HIV positive volunteers who had
received childhood BCG and whose CD4 count was 200 or more cells per microlitre
of blood. The CD4 is a white blood cell that plays a critical role in the immune
response and is normally above 800 cells per microlitre. Half the volunteers
received five doses of the Mycobacterium vaccae two months apart over a year.
The other half acted as a control arm receiving a dummy vaccine or placebo.

Dr. Ford von Reyn, Professor of Medicine, DMS and principal investigator of the
study said, “the vaccine was found to boost lymphocyte counts and protect
against all forms of definite TB among 20 of the 1,000 who received it.

There is no risk of getting TB infection from the vaccine itself as it is an
inactivated form. The technology used to create the vaccine is low cost and that
will help ensure its affordability in those countries where it will be needed
most.

TB is the world's leading cause of death among PLHIV. Over a third of the global
total of 33 million PLHIV is co-infected with TB and will likely die without
treatment. One in five people with a severely weakened immune system can develop
active TB within a year, an extraordinarily high risk. The risk of TB goes up as
immunity comes down.

Preventing HIV positive people from falling sick with TB ranks among the leading
public health challenges in China, India and the countries of sub-Saharan
Africa. People whose immunity is down because of HIV infection, can have TB that
manifests in a very atypical way, for example, without a persistent cough. Such
people miss getting diagnosed with TB at the health care services and can die as
a result.

If cases of TB among PLHIV are diagnosed, the chance of them getting cured of TB
is much worse than among those without HIV infection. In Malawi, for instance,
four out of ten TB patients with HIV co infection die before the completion of
anti-TB treatment. People who complete anti-TB treatment and are pronounced
fully cured of TB run a high risk of getting TB again, owing to their low
immunity.

A TB vaccine that will afford permanent protection is badly needed. It is too
early to know if the Mycobaterium vaccae vaccine can do that. “Our follow-up
with the study volunteers shows that the vaccine is affording a 40 per cent
protection so far in these three to four years. We need to study its
durability,” observed Dr. Robert Horsburgh, Chairman, Department of
Epidemiology, Boston University Department of Public Health.

It is clear that the M.vaccae vaccine will have a profound impact on TB control
among PLHIV in India as elsewhere. Dr. Anthony Harries, Senior Adviser to the
IUATLD said, “these results suggest that about 6,000 cases of TB can be
averted among a population of 2 million PLHIV within three years if 50 per cent
of them received it.

The current armamentarium to prevent TB consists of the BCG vaccine which is
given to children at birth. While it protects children from acquiring serious
TB, it does not afford much protection to adults.

Besides, BC being a live vaccine, could theoretically cause TB in PLHIV. The
only other weapon available is giving HIV infected patients a daily dose of a
single anti-TB drug — Isoniazid — to prevent them from getting TB. This
measure is acknowledged to fuel the spread of Isoniazid resistant TB, but is
still adopted as the lesser of the two evils. “The new vaccine would overcome
both these challenges.

I see it becoming part of a whole package of pre-Anti Retroviral Therapy care
that can keep people with HIV healthy for many years,” said Prof. Harries. It
is for future research to unravel how the vaccine may benefit people with CD4
counts lower than 200. While the Dar Dar study focused on a group at high risk
for TB, the potential of the new vaccine to prevent TB among HIV negative
individuals in TB prevalent areas is open to exploration. Meantime, it may be
two years before Mycobacterium vaccae will become available.

Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/24/stories/2008102455451100.htm

HIV-infected men get lifer for raping, murdering minor

BANGALORE: A Mumbai sessions court on Friday awarded life imprisonment to four
HIV-infected men for raping and murdering a three-year-old girl.

They had committed the crime under the misconception that a sexual union with a
child would cure them of the dreaded virus.

Mohammed Sameer (19), a newspaper vendor, and his three friends committed the
crime at Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai in March a year ago.

Sameer, who was picked up on suspicion, underwent a narco-analysis test in
Bangalore in November the past year, during which he admitted to the crime.

"We had a misconception that we could get rid of HIV if we had sex with
children," Sameer said during the narco test. He also revealed that he was a
paedophile who kidnapped children of homeless migrants and raped them. Despite
this confession, police have not yet received any complaints against him in this
regard.

Sameer had admitted to two dozen similar crimes. He was said to have contracted
HIV from a brothel he had visited along with his friends. He started kidnapping
children since he could not afford to pay the sex workers.

The other three convicts were not subjected to narco test.

Sameer and his friends picked up the three-year-old daughter of a chemist and
gang-raped her at an isolated place. They stuffed her mouth with chocolates to
suppress her screams. They even burnt her body with cigarette butts.

The victim's body was later found in a septic tank near her house. She had been
stifled with a handkerchief.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1201882

Dear friends and colleagues in Indian civil society,
 
The next Board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria is in New Delhi, India from November 6-8.
 
The three civil society delegations to the Global Fund Board would like to use
the opportunity of the meeting of the Global Fund Board in New Delhi to meet and
interact with you about priorities of Indian civil society regarding the Global
Fund-supported programs in India, to attempt to translate these priorities into
issues that could be addressed, debated and resolved by the Global Fund Board
and Secretariat and give you an opportunity to meet with representatives from
the three civil society delegations.

Therefore we would like to invite two representatives of your organisation to a
joint meeting on Tuesday 4 November, from 16.00-19.00 hours at the Taj Palace
Hotel in Delhi, (Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave - meeting room tbc)
which is also the venue for the Board Meeting later that week.

Following the meeting, the Communities Delegation is organizing a social and
networking event with drinks and snacks from 19.00 to 21.00 hours, to which you
are also gladly invited.

During the joint meeting, we would like Indian activists and civil society
representatives to provide us with answers to these questions:
 
--What are the major barriers to effective civil society participation in Global
Fund proposal development, grant implementation, and oversight? What needs to
happen to fix these problems?
 
--From the point of view of Indian civil society, what are the major problems
with the performance of Global Fund-funded grants in India? What needs to happen
to fix these problems?
 
--If the Global Fund could change three things about how it works with India
in order to address major difficulties, what would those three things be?
 
--How can the civil society delegations support you more effectively in some of
these challenges, opportunities?

Please let us know if you are planning to attend the joint meeting and/or the
networking event by sending a response email to jw@..., stating the
names of who will come and your organization, preferably no later than Sunday
2 November.

Travel and accommodation would be at your own expenses.
 
Sincerely
 
Javier Hourcade Bellocq
Global Fund Board Member, Delegation of Communities Living with HIV/ AIDS, TB
and affected by Malaria
jhourcade@...
 
Asia Russell
Global Fund Board Member, Delegation of Developed Country NGOs 
asia@...
 
Karlo Boras
Global Fund Alternate Board Member, Delegation of Developing Country
NGOs -karlo.boras@... 



Jacqueline Wittebrood

Communications Focal Point
Developed Country NGO Delegation to the Global Fund Board
International Civil Society Support
Keizersgracht 390
1016 GB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Fax: +31 (0) 20 6275221
Mobile: +31 (0) 6 33318020
Email: jw@...
Skype: jacqueline.wittebrood
www.icssupport.org

Airport red tape strangles HIV+ Mizo girl's last wish

MANGALORE/KOLKATA: A 22-year-old HIV-positive Mizo girl — counting her last
breaths — tried desperately to reach home to see her parents, but Airoprt Red
Tape strangled her last wish. Mawii died at Kolkata airport on Tuesday after
being turned away by Air India officials on Monday.

Mawii was being treated at Bangalore's Bowring Hospital and had taken a
fit-to-fly certificate from there, said former Bangalore police commissioner and
ex-MP H T Sangliana. But in Kolkata, AI officials wanted another fitness
certificate when she tried to catch the connecting flight to Aizawl. "I tried to
reason with the airline officials, but to no avail. I again got a medical
fitness certificate and faxed it to them, but they still refused to relent,"
said Sangliana.

Mawii was booked on a Kolkata-Aizawl Kingfisher flight on Tuesday, but died
before she could board the plane. AI officials maintained that they could not
bend rules laid down by the Director General of Civil Aviation.

According to Sangliana, who had made Mawii's travel arrangements, she boarded a
flight from Bangalore without hassle at 6 am on Monday. The connecting flight
from Kolkata to Aizawl was at 11 am. But AI officials wanted a fitness
certificate taken in Kolkata before she could board the flight. She went back
disheartened.

On Tuesday morning, Mawii returned to take a Kingfisher flight. She was sitting
in the domestic lounge, when she suddenly seem-ed to fall asleep. When she could
not be roused, two family members called a doctor, who declared her dead. Her
body was taken to Mizoram House and is likely to be flown to Aizawl on Wednesday
morning.

AI officials in Kolkata said the wheelchair-bound woman was "fit" when she
travelled from Bangalore to Kolkata but fell ill later on Monday morning. "Mawii
had a through boarding pass and went to the security hold but fell ill. Doctors
at Kolkata airport refused to issue her a fit-to-fly certificate and referred
her to a nursing home. We took her to a private hospital, where she was advised
to take admission. But her family refused and shifted her to Mizoram House
instead," said a spokesperson.

He also claimed that Mawii possessed only a paper that stated "she is ill and be
kindly permitted to fly". "It was not a valid certificate as the doctor's
registration number was not mentioned. If she had to fly, a doctor should have
accompanied her. We acted as per DGCA norms."

A Kingfisher Airlines official in Kolkata said Mawii's relatives had not
declared that she was a patient. "If we had found her unwell during boarding, we
would have demanded a fit-to-fly certificate as well," he said.

A furious Sangliana lashed out at the airline officials, saying it was "inhuman
not to grant a person her last wish". "Now, the body has to be embalmed and sent
to her parents, the cost of which they cannot afford. All these inconveniences
could have been avoided if the officials had shown a little understanding," he
said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Kolkata_HIV_girls_last_wish_strangled/\
articleshow/3649668.cms

Dear Moderator,

NACO should understand that there are some competant HIV physicians
are there in private sctors also. There are many patients taking
treatment from these private sectors who also updating their
knowledge by attending Confernces and thru journals.

We had come across so many occassions of patients who need 2ND LINE OF THERAPY.I
want to bring forth a recent incidence.

Knowing thru the drug marketting  companies, an enthusiastic private practioner
fom a rural  area,started a HIV positive lady on staudine, lamivudine,
nevirapine on one OD instead of one bid (twice daily).

The patient continue this drug for the past 3 and half years. Now her CD4 count
is just 60 only. This patient was not able to afford for resisstance test or
viral load assessment.

As we have no other options we have referred to Govt ART center where they plan
to put her on the same drugs in the correct dosage.

They are also have no options to refer this patient directly to 2nd line of
management to higher centers where they had been turned down.

AS THERE IS LOT POSSIBILITIES FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL WOULD ACQIURE DRUG RESISTANCE
to the common NRTIs AND NNRTIs thru TAMs AND M184v AND k103N, these drugs would
be useless and she will be an ideal patient for 2nd line of management with PI
containig regimen.

In this cotext, reference from privte HIV physician's recommedations also to be
honoured by these centers like Tambaram center, Chennai and JJ hospitals,
Mumbai.

We do come across patients who is having HIV2 infections also in our practice
where NNRTIs has no role also were given with same type of regimen which
contains NNRTIs by Govt ART cemters.

So the guidlines must be framed(revised) in such a way all these 2nd line
centers could be used by the Govt ART cnters directly and also for cases refered
by private HIV physicians if it realy proves to be worthy.

Dr S.Murgan
e-mail: <muruganyes@...>

The Bangalore University has been selected as one of the sub-
recipients for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria
(GFATM) Round -7 grant on the HIV/AIDS counseling sub-component.

This programme aims at enhancing human & institutional capacities of
HIV counseling training institutes in India. For successful
implementation of this programme in four south Indian states, we
require a team of highly skilled and experienced staff. Applications
are invited from eligible and interested candidates for the
following positions.

I. REGIONAL PROJECT MANAGER (Scientist D)

A: Essential qualifications: (1) Master's degree in Public Health/
Psychiatry Or Master's Degree  in Population Studies / Health
Education /  Psychological Counseling/ Social Work/ Psychology with
Doctoral degree from a recognized university/ Institute (with a
minimum of 55 % aggregate marks)(2) Minimum of five years experience
of training/ research/ evaluation/ management of projects in the
field of HIV /AIDS or related areas.

B: Desirable qualifications and experience :(1) Demonstrated
leadership and managerial abilities (2) Proven knowledge of
budgetary, financial and human resource administration (3) Knowledge
and skills in the field of partnerships and training activities (4)
Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to guide and
motivate others, and to develop/implement effective work practices
and ethics (5)Excellent command of English and Hindi language with
proven ability to write and communicate in a clear and concise
manner (6) Computer literacy as related to financial management (7)
Excellent skills for quantitative analysis, complemented by capacity
to work and produce results under pressure and with short deadlines
(8) Excellent presentation skills.

C: Job Specifications: (1) To lead and coordinate all aspects of
administrative, budgetary and financial management (2) Developing
and implementing sound budgetary, financial and administrative
strategies to achieve the optimum managerial and programmatic
activities, (3)Policies for effective processes and streamlined
procedures and practices, with particular attention for quality
assurance in accordance with the work plans (4) Resolving difficult
issues and recommending remedial actions (5) delivering effective
implementation, including the administration of technical contracts
(50Any other work assigned by higher authorities. (d) Salary Rs
40,000 p.m consolidated)

II: SENIOR TRAINING OFFICER (Scientist B)

A: Essential qualifications (1) Master's degree in Public Health/
Health Education/ Psychiatry Or Master's Degree  in Population
Studies/ Psychological Counseling/ Social Work/ Health Education /
Psychology  from a recognized university/ institute (with a minimum
of 55 % aggregate marks). (2) Minimum of 3 years experience of
training/ research/ monitoring and evaluation (M& E) / management of
international projects in the field of HIV /AIDS or related areas.

B: Desirable qualifications and experience :(1) Developing  modules,
designing training  schedules, facilitating and managing training
programmes (2) Knowledge of working in multicultural, multilingual,
multidisciplinary areas (3) Efficiency in planning, monitoring,
evaluation and control of the technical cooperation processes (4)
Strong professional oral and writing skills in English, including
the development of reports, oral presentations, and
technical/persuasive documents for consideration at the highest
level  with working knowledge of Hindi and other south Indian
languages (5) Knowledge of management processes and  ability to
analyze and present  data objectively and clearly.  (6) Computer
literacy as related to programme management (7) Excellent skills for
quantitative analysis, complemented by capacity to work and produce
results under pressure and with short deadlines (8 ) Excellent
facilitation skills.

C: Job Specifications: (1) Responsible for coordinating the zonal
level capacity building initiatives in the programme (2) Responsible
for management of training programmes and its reporting (3) Timely
achievement of training targets and their reporting (4) Performing
other duties as assigned by the project implementing authority (5)
Resolving difficult issues and recommending remedial actions for
effective managerial implementation, including the administration of
technical contracts.  (d) Salary:  25,000 p.m consolidated)

III:  JUNIOR TRAINING OFFICER (SSO)

A: Essential Qualifications: (1) Master's degree in Public Health/
Psychiatry   Or Master's Degree in Psychology/ Psychological
Counseling/  Social Work/ HRD / Health education / Population
Studies from a recognized university/ institute with a minimum of 55
% aggregate marks. (2) Minimum of one year experience of Training/
research/ evaluation/ management of projects in the field of
HIV /AIDS or related areas.

B: Desirable qualifications and experience (1) Facilitating and
manage training programmes (2) Knowledge of working in a
multicultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary area (3) Efficiency
in planning, monitoring, evaluation and control of the technical
cooperation processes (4) Strong professional, oral and writing
skills in English, including the development of reports, oral
presentations, and technical/persuasive documents for consideration
at the highest level  with working knowledge of Hindi and other
south Indian languages (5 ) Demonstrated ability to effectively use
a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, other IT skills and knowledge
of other software programs would be an asset.

C: Job Specifications: (1) Coordinating zonal level capacity
building programmes (2) Managing education programmes and its
reporting (3) Ensuring timely achievement of training targets (4)
Performing other duties as assigned by higher authorities. (d)
Salary: Rs  16,000 p.m consolidated)

IV FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

A: Essential Qualifications: (1) M. Com / M.B.A (Finance), with
knowledge of Computer Applications on Financial software/online
accounting and  minimum 4 years experience in finance and
administration & managing large accounts  or   B.Com with 08 years
experience in Finance and Administrative Department handling
administration and financial activities with 55 % aggregate mark (2)
Experience in financial management of projects/ programmes with UN
agencies/ World Bank/ NACO/ State AIDS Society/ International
projects/ Major Govt  programmes.

B: Desirable qualifications and experience (1) Competent knowledge
of Account Based Budgeting, budget and financial management (2)
Knowledge of Finance applications and modules in Oracle or similar
ERP systems  (3) Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to
guide and motivate others, and to develop/implement effective work
practices and ethics  (4) Excellent command of English with proven
ability to write and communicate in a clear and concise manner  (5)
Computer literacy as related to financial management (6) Working
knowledge of Hindi and other south Indian languages

C: Job Specifications: (1) Processing Financial Information
vouchers, compilation of accounts, bank reconciliation and logistic
support for project (2) Compilation and consolidation of sub-units
and updating financial Information Systems (3) Proper and up-to-date
record keeping as per project requirements (4) Processing of project
activities, including  procurement, pay roll preparation. (5)
Support functional training of regional level and end users with
financial aspects (6) Assisting the Zonal Project Manager in the
overall administration (7) Performing other duties as assigned by
the Zonal Project Manager and other higher authorities.  (d)
Salary:  Rs  20,000 p.m consolidated)

V . ADMINISTRATIVE   ASSISTANT

A: Essential Qualifications: (1) Bachelor's Degree in Communicative
English/ English Literature/ Business management / Journalism/
Commerce from a recognized university/ institute with 55 % aggregate
marks. (2) Minimum one year experience of working in HIV/AIDS field
or related fields or 3 years work experience in international
projects.

B: Desirable qualifications and experience (1) Ability to carry out
routine correspondence and  write reports in English (2) Working
knowledge of south Indian languages (3) Ability to organize, and
carry out administrative processes such as: meetings, acquisition of
supplies and equipment, preparation of reports, etc (4) Ability to
sustain working relationships with people in other institutions (5)
Demonstrated ability to effectively use a computer and utilize
software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint
and Outlook

C: Job Specifications: (1)Perform support functions, including
answering telephone calls, receiving visitors, arranging
appointments, locating background material and files, compiling data
for the preparation of correspondence and/or reports, assembling
correspondence for mailing (2) Maintenance of computers and its
software system (3)Make travel arrangements for the  project  staff
and other visiting resource persons  (4)Prepare charts and graphs
using available office computer software; (5)Follow up on pending
matters; ensure deadlines will be complied with, identify and
recommend solutions to meet resources needs; (6)Assist in the
coordination, preparation and development of internal and external
technical group meetings, conferences and seminars including the
preparation of agendas, documents, publications and final reports;
coordinating logistical arrangements including travel and hotel
reservations (7) Establish and maintain files and retrieve
information from files when required  (8)Perform other related
duties, as assigned.   D: Salary:  Rs 10,000 p.m consolidated)

VI   OFFICE ASSISTANT (Peon)

A: Essential Qualifications:  (1) SSLC   passes (2) Minimum of one
year work Experience in reputed organization: (b): Desirable
qualifications and experience: (2) knowledge and skills to operate
and maintain equipment and all assets procured and used for the
project (2) maintenance, cleaning and safeguarding all assets of the
project (3) executing all responsibilities assigned by higher
authorities. (c) Salary:  Rs  4,000 p.m consolidated)

**********************************************************
GENERAL CONDITIONS

1.Tentative duration of the project is five years ( ie.,  from 01-09-
2008 to 31-8- 2013)

2.Appointments will be for a period of one year on contract basis
and it is renewable every year based on performance assessment
reports and the overall success of the project.

3.Appointed staff for all the posts are expected to travel within
the four south Indian states.

4.Candidates may submit their applications only in electronic format
on or before 11:00 AM (I.S.T.), 03 November, 2008 to
psychologicalcounselling@... CC romatejohn@.... (MS
word / PDF) The last date for submission of application is 03
November, 2008.

5.Applicants who receive Email invitation letters from
psychologicalcounselling@... are welcome to attend the
scrutiny of documents on 04 the November, 2008 at 11.00 am.

Applicants found eligible  will be interviewed at 02.00 pm on the
same day

6.Applications received after the last date will not be considered
and the organization takes no responsibility for any delay in
receipt.

7.Applications not fulfilling above prescribed eligibility criteria
will not be considered.

8.Applicants appearing for the interview must produce the following
original  documents  with one set  of photocopies of all documents
before the scrutinizing officers :
       a.date of birth proof certificate
       b.marks cards of all semesters/ years as  per the eligibility
          criteria
       c.all experience  certificates claimed in the application form
       d.two passport size photographs and
       e.other relevant documents in support of their claims

9.Separate applications are to be submitted for each post if an
    applicant desires to apply for more than one post.

10.Only applicants below 50 years of age are eligible to apply.

11.The selection committee has the right not to fill up any of the
     vacancies advertised.

12.Canvassing directly or indirectly will disqualify the candidate.

13.No TA/DA will be paid for attending the interview or joining the
      post.

14.Applicants selected  will be required to work at the Project
     implementation office at the Centre for Psychological
     Counselling, Bangalore University and travel as and when required

15.Appointment to this project does not ensure any job absorption
     after the completion of this project or during the project
     period.

16.Selection will be made on the basis of qualifications, experience
     and competence of the applicant as assessed by the selection
     committee which shall be the final decision making authority for
     all appointments.

17.Applicants are encouraged to go through the details of the
     project from the Global Fund website round seven proposal on
     counselling sub-component and the  functionary aspects the
     project  are available for downloading

18.Applications must   be filled as per the format given below

19.Selected applicants must report for duty within a week.

20.For further information contact  the  undersigned  via Email  or
     call :080-22961507 or visit www.bub.ernet.in

Sd/-
Romate John   Ph.D
Regional Project Director
GFATM 7 Counseling component
Bangalore University, Bangalore 560056

**********************************************
APPLICATION FORM

Application for the post of :
1 Name
2 Age &  Date of Birth
3 Address for correspondence:

(a) District :
(b) State
(c).  Pin codecode:
(d) Email
(e) Ph. No. ( with local code)
  g) Mobile ph.No:

4 Employment (please mention your jobs in sequence with the latest
at top)
a.Name of the Employer/ Organization
b.Date of Joining
c.Date of Leaving
d.Duration
e.Designation
f.Nature of the Employment

5.Educational Qualifications
a.University/ Institution
b.Year
c.Subjects
d.Percentage of  marks
A Ph.D.
B M. Phil.
C Master's degree
D Bachelor's  degree
E Certificate/ diploma

6.Additional Qualifications

7 Number of research Papers/ Books  published :

8.Achievements:

9.Languages Known Speak,Read ,Write
A English
B Hindi
C Kannada
D Malayalam
E Telugu

10 Any additional information that  you wish to give

I hereby declare that the entries in this form are true to the best
of my knowledge and belief

Sd/-


"John Romate"
e-mail: <psychologicalcounselling@...>

Dear Forum Members,

I like to inform and warn about use of AZT as a first line
combination ART to all of you.

In last 6 months the follow up study of over 200 HIV patients
receiving combination ART viz AZT + 3TC + EFV have shown me alarming
findings.

These patients are on the said combination for more than 3
years (ranging between 3 to 7 years) and are most adherent as well
as immunologically and virologically well responded.

More than 50% of these patients have shown; 1 Dyslipidemia, 2. Lipodystrophy, 3.
Hyperglycemia, 4. Oesteoporosis,  5. Carotid artery narrowing more than 70% , 6
Three of them had acute mycardial infarction.

Two of patients were receiving AZT + 3TC + NVP also developed
above mentioned complications.

Other risk factors were carefully studied and taken into
consideration.

This means that we have lost; d4T, and now AZT as an ideal component
of 1st line  combination ART in WHO  ART rollout program.

There is again anticipated risk of coronary artery disease with use of Abacavir,
which is comparatively less potent especially  for
patients with high HIV RNA copies, however risk of hypersensitivity
is comparatively low.

Even Tenofovir which is the answer for replacing AZT shall need long term
follow-up for risk of renal toxicities which I am observing in increasing number
of HIV patients receiving TDF + FTC +EFV combination. Where are we now  ? Is
Raltegravir an answer ?

I wish health care providers and ART policy makers will make notice
of this observation

With greetings for Diwali and a Happy New Year


Dr. J.K.Maniar, MD

Consultant in HIV Medicine, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Bombay
President, AIDS Society of India.
e-mail: <jkmaniar@...>

Dear FORUM,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9538

Hats off to the Chavans!! They stand an example to the entire nation.

When the own relatives fail to take care of orphaned HIV children, this act is
extraordinary. This news must be spread to every nook and corner of the country
so that it serves as a motivation to all.

NGO's & Government can help the Chavans family to bring up the
child and provide adequate treatment without facing difficulties. This
act should truly be encouraged.

Abigail Divya
e-mail: <abigaildivya@...>

Dear FORUM,

Re: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/AIDS-INDIA/message/9573

This situation crops up too often unfortunately, and yes even in the
US some social services will "look the other way" when there is an
underage youth caring for the rest of the family.

However some don't and the result of attempting to help usually results in a
debacle and the children are sent to child and family services. That fragmenting
can lead to children falling into bad situations and practically living in the
streets.

I am not in any way what so ever comparing the level of poverty of this young
man with similar situations in the US but the question of ethics does arise.

I have given much thought to the "Correct" answer and I think it must be dealt
with on an individual basis, that it is the only way to determine if child labor
is occurring in the sense of the laws written.

Good intention are fine and the child labor laws around the world were all
designed with good intentions. Unfortunately the real world is not made of yes
or no issues.

In this situation I would do all I could to help this strong
and selfless young man continue his path as long as he desires.

It's not fair or right that children should have to bear the brunt of
caring for their family but then HIV is not fair, and the world will
never be "fair".

ravaids <ravaids@...>

PRESS RELEASE. Bangalore

24th October, 2008

Sangama and Karnataka Sexworkers Union along with other human rights
organizations held a press conference today, 24th October, 2008 (Friday) from
1:30pm to 2pm the Press Club of Bangalore. People who addressed the the press
conference include:

1. A. Revathi* - hijra activist and Director (Collectivisation),
Sangama

2. Sumathi Murthy* – Sufi singer, Advocacy Officer, Sangama

3. Sowmya* – hijra activist and a leader of Samara (state wide
community organization of sexual minorities and sexworkers)

4. B. T. Venkatesh *– human rights activist and senior advocate

5. Siddharth Narrain *– human rights activist and legal researcher
from Alternative Law Forum

6. B. N. Usha* – women's rights activist from Hengasara Hakkina
Sangha and official representative of Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights

B. N. Usha said announced the actions by the Campaign for Sexual Minorities
Rights:

1. One week of continuous programs in Bangalore starting soon.

2. Massive Rally and Public Meeting in Bangalore on the National Day
of Action, simultaneous programs will be organized by various groups in
different parts of India on that day

3. Public hearing in Bangalore

Press note contents:


PRESS NOTE (24th October, 2008)



Police purging hijras out of Bengaluru

Police subject hijras and human rights defenders to illegal detention and
arrests, custodial torture and sexual assault

As India progresses, reaching out to the moon, Bengaluru has become a
dangerous city for its citizens. especially the most vulnerable, and any one who
dares to support them. In the last few weeks, there seems to be a drive against
hijras in particular and any person without a secure place of work or livelihood
security.

These vulnerable people are being arrested, beaten and harassed by the police. 
In an age where street dogs and cattle are being enumerated, government
employees are getting massive pay hikes, the
transgenders are seen as totally unworthy of any attention. There is neither any
data of how many people we are talking about and a total blank on how they can
meet their basic needs to survive with dignity.

Housing, health support and ration cards are a distant dream for them. The only
recognition that these sections of society get is when they are targeted by the
police in drives like these. In our beautiful city that needs to be sold to
investors and welcome tourists there is no place for many of us. It is only
a matter of time when we are targeted.


*Arrest and Abuse of 5 Hijras:* At 11am on 20th October, police catch 5 hijras
near a traffic signal in the Girinagar police station limits and take them to
the police station. In the station, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), H.
T. Ramesh beats one of them with a lathi, breaks her bangles and makes her
bleed. Police force another hijra to clean the floor of the police station.

Police later charge them with false charges under section 341 (wrongful
restraint) and 384 (extortion) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).

They were produced before the magistrate at 7:30 pm and were sent into
judicial custody. All through this the hijras were handled by policemen and no
medical treatment is given to the injured hijra in police or judicial custody.
These 5 people were released on bail on 22nd October, 2008.

Arrest and Torture of Sangama Crisis Team Members: *On receiving a phone call
from the 5 hijras in the police detention, 5 activists of the Crisis Team
(Madesh, Dilfaraz, Savitha, Sahana and Kokila) of Sangama, a sexual minority
human rights and health organization visit Girinagar police station and enquire
about the detention of 5 hijras.

On request from the police the crisis team members go to the Banashankari police
station and meet the ACP and the Police Inspector (PI) Shivashankara Murthi to
resolve the problem.

The ACP and PI were abusive and behave in a derogatory manner without any
provocation. Their verbal abuses include "Are you a man or woman?" "Take out all
your clothes, let me check what you have there?" "Check if he is wearing an
underwear?" "Strip them" "How dare you come to my area to support hijras"

"Do you make blue films?" "Are you beggars?" "*Ganchalli thorisidhare
nimmannoo olagade haakthivi*". The ACP slaps Dilfaraz four times and asks police
to arrest the activists and book them under *ganja-apheem* case. The PI slaps
Madesh  two times. PI keeps a big wooden block on Madesh's head, the ACP said
*'Oh you have taken centre crop, I will beat you here and your head will break
in the centre'***

On receiving a phone call from the crisis team members Chandini and Rosy
(activists from Sangama) reach the Banashankari Police Station at around 3pm. At
this point the Banashankari police brutally attack Madesh and Dilfaraz with
hands and lathis, kick them and drag them into a police van and move them to
Girinagar police station by force.

When police men come near Savitha, Sahana and Kokila to hit them, the activists
warn the police of the serious consequences of policemen touching women. The
police back off. In Girinagar police station, policemen sexually abuse Madesh
and Dilfaraz in the name of finding if they were male or female. Later Girinagar
police detain Savitha, Sahana and Kokila along with Madesh and Dilfaraz.

All of them were booked under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining
unlawful assembly ordered to be dispersed) and 353 (obstructing government
officials in performing their duty) of the IPC. They were produced before the
magistrate at 8.45 PM  and were sent into judicial custody. These 5 crisis team
members were released on bail on 22nd October, 2008.

Human Rights Activists gather at the Banashankari Police Station: *On
hearing this around 150 human rights activists and lawyers from various
organizations working on issues of women, dalits, workers, communalism,
environment, health, sexual minorities, sexworkers and so on gathered outside
the Banashankari police station. Activists tried to negotiate with the ACP and
PI unsuccessfully twice to get Madesh and Dilfaraz back. At around 7pm activists
started a peaceful protest in front of the police station and start shouting
slogans against police atrocities.

Illegal detention and Custodial Torture of 6 activists:* At 7:30pm, on the ACP's
request a delegation of 6 six activists start a dialogue with the police
officials inside the station. The delegation includes Manohar (Karnataka
Sexworkers Union, founder of Sangama), Yashoda (Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike),
Sumathi (Sufi singer, member of LesBiT), Jayaram (Garment and Textile Workers
Union), Chandini (Sangama), Sowmya (Samara).

The ACP and PI said 'It was wrong to hit people in our custody. We know that. We
are asked by the senior officials to beat them up.

Leave your people and go home. We will not release them even if you go to the
Chief Minister. We have orders from the senior officials to round up all hijras
on the streets of Bengaluru and book them under extortion cases. We are only
following the instructions of our seniors. You go out and do a protest in front
of Police
Commissioner's Office'. When questioned about the unlawful actions of the police
the ACP shouted 'arrest these people and beat them up'.

The ACP, PI and a few other policemen brutally hit the delegation members with
hands and lathis on their neck, legs and back and pushed them into the lockup.
At around 8:30pm ACP, PI and 2 other policemen get the six delegates out of the
lockup and hit them brutally and sexually assault 4 women and hijras. These
activists have to fight a lot even to access drinking water and toilet
facilities. At around 11pm police leave these delegates without any charges.

Lathi charge on peaceful protesters and arrest of 31 activists: *At around 7:45
pm, after illegally detaining 6 delegates, police came out and started beating
up people holding cameras and chased them away to prevent recording of any proof
of police excesses. Police declared that they were arresting the activists and
asked them to get into the police vehicles. When activists demanded the release
of the 6 delegates in the lockup, policemen brutally and mercilessly attacked
activists (women, men and transgenders).

Policemen pushed 31 activists (including 1 hijra, 3 female-to-male transsexuals,
9 women and 18 men) into a small van. They were made to suffer for 7 hours
inside a small van and were not even given food to eat. They were under extreme
stress, almost dehydrated and suffocated by this ordeal, finally they were
provided a can of water by midnight.

All of them were booked under Section 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining an
unlawful assembly ordered to dispersed) and 353 (obstructing government
officials in performing their duty) and were taken to the residence of the
magistrate.

Senior advocate BT Venkatesh and a number of human rights lawyers were waiting
near the residence when the activists were brought. The police went into the
residence of the magistrate and came back and without producing the activities
they tried to take back the accused in the van.

BT Venkatesh and other advocates immediately stopped the police van and
protested this and demanded that accused be immediately produced before the
magistrate.

Police's ploy was to avoid magistrate recording the assault and violence
committed by police on the activists. At 1:30am after all the protests the
police were forced to produce the accused before the magistrate.

The magistrate informed BT Venkatesh and other lawyers that the police informed
him that they were no advocates present and that there were large contingent of
protesters. After recording the details of the assaults suffered by the accused
the magistrate directed the police to take them to Bowring hospital for medical
examinations as most of them sustained major injuries due to
police violence. These 31 activists were released on bail on 22nd evening.
Police starved these people and denied them medicines when they were in 20-hour
long police custody .

Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights launched: *The Girinagar and
Banashankari police actions show their complete disregard to the laws of the
land. Brutal police attacks on human rights defenders and peaceful protestors is
a clear violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by our constitution. These
actions threaten our democracy itself. In this context we came together to
launch the 'campaign for sexual minorities rights' to defend fundamental rights
of sexual minorities.

The campaign will dialogue with social movements and expand public discourse for
equal rights and non-discrimination. We appeal to all democratic forces to join
us in this struggle to reform the colonial police attitudes towards hijra
community and to sensitize society on hijra issues.

Our Demands: *

1. Dismiss the guilty police including H. T. Ramesh (ACP) and M.
Shivashankara Murthi (PI); and prosecute them for the crimes (assault,
abuse, sexual assault and illegal detention) committed against human rights
defenders

2. Take immediate steps to stop the brutal police violence (physical
and sexual) against hijras and sexworkers in Bengaluru and punish the
perpetrators of violence

3. Protect the rights of hijra community for their traditional
livelihood options including sexwork and blessings, or provide them with a
reasonable option.

4. Initiate immediate measures to fulfil the obligations of the
government so that hijras and other transsexuals have access to education,
employment, health, housing, sex-change procedures, savings and credit
facilities etc.

Quote in police custody: ACP HT Ramesh keeps a big wooden block on Madesh's head
and says: 'Oh you have taken centre crop, I will beat you here and your head
will break in the centre'

Campaign for Sexual Minorities Rights No. 9 ABABIL, Patel Cheluvappa Street, J C
Nagar (MR Palya), Bengaluru - 6, India, Phone: 23438840/43, Mobile: 9845165143,
Email: advocacysangama@...

(*Constituents: *Alternative Law Forum, Aneka, Environment Support Group,
Garment and Textile Workers Union, Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, Jyothi Mahila
Sangha, Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike, Karnataka Komusouhardha Vedike, Karnataka
Sexual Minorities Forum, Karnataka Sexworkers Union, LesBiT, Lawyers Collective,
Openspace, Pedestrian Pictures, People's Democratic Forum, People's Union for
Civil Liberties, Sadhane, Samanatha Mahila Vedike, Sadhana Mahila Gumpu, Samara,
Samvada, Sanchaya Nele, Sangama, Suraksha, Vijaya Mahila Sangha, Vimochana and
many other individuals and organizations)
*

Living Conditions of Hijras: *Hijras are one of the most stigmatized and
marginalized sections of our society. Most of them discontinue their education
due to physical and sexual harassment in schools. Most of them migrate to big
cities and join hijra communities after their families and neighbors reject
them.

They are denied inheritance. As they cannot afford expensive sex-change
procedures they go for *nirvan* (surgical removal of penis and testicles) and
live as women. Lack of education coupled with
severe sexual harassment in workplaces denies them most employment
opportunities that are available to others. Most of them survive by the
traditional occupations of sexwork and blessings. As they need to be on the
streets for these occupations they become easy prey for the police and goondas.

They are ridiculed in public spaces – bus/train, public toilets, cinema halls,
public parks, markets, places of worship and hospitals.

They are forced to live in the slums in the city outskirts. Most of them are
denied voting rights, ration cards, bank accounts, insurance, driving license
and old age pension. They have to pay more than others for house rent and auto
rickshaw travel. They are not treated like citizens, and not even like human
beings. No wonder that most of them carry low self-esteem and depend heavily on
alcohol. Who is responsible for this? Their transgender desire or our social
intolerance?

Manohar Elavarthi
e-mail: <manoharban@...>

HIV tests compulsory for Punjab transport workers

Chitleen K Sethi. Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 25

The Punjab government has asked truck and taxi owners in the state to
ensure that their drivers and other employees undergo tests for HIV at
least once a year.

Amending the Punjab Motor Transport Workers Rules, 1963, the
government has added a clause making it compulsory for all transport
workers to undergo the tests at civil hospitals. The new rules also
state that in case a worker is found to be HIV positive, the employer
would ensure his free treatment.

Issuing a notification in this regard, the department of labour,
Punjab, said it had invited objections to the amendment before
finalising it. "We have not received any objection to the rules and
these would come into force from the date of the notification," said
Raminder Singh, state's labour commissioner.

Though the amendment is timely with the National AIDS Control
Programme-III focusing on reducing the risk of HIV among truckers, the
State AIDS Control Society is likely to raise objections to it. The
society follows the guidelines of the National AIDS Policy which do
not allow compulsory testing.

"No one can be tested compulsorily for AIDS except those falling in
certain pre-listed categories and truckers do not fall in those
categories," said Dr N.M Sharma, additional project director, Punjab
State AIDS Control Society. Truck unions would object to the state
government's move, he added.

The labour commissioner, however, pointed out that the Maharashtra
government had already amended its rules to include the clause. "We
have been keeping track of what other states have been doing in this
regard and this amendment is urgently needed in Punjab," he said. The
draft rules were made public in September and a period of six weeks
was given, but no objections were received.

Punjab has a flourishing transport business and truck unions run
almost a parallel economy. According to the National AIDS Control
Programme-III, nearly 36 per cent of the truckers visit sex workers.
"Truckers represent a key sub-segment of the total male client
population. Because long-distance truckers move throughout the
country, those who are at a higher risk of HIV can form transmission
bridges from the higher to the lower prevalence areas," states the
programme.

In order to ensure compliance, the labour department will depute a
special inspector to ensure that the truck and taxi owners have got
their workers tested for HIV. "The employer will have to produce a
certificate by December 31 every year clarifying the status.We have
added a penalty clause in the rules which will come into force in case
there is non-compliance," said Raminder Singh.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081026/main2.htm

Media Advocacy Workshop on Red Ribbon Express Held

Oct 25th, 2008 | By News Team | Category: Chandigarh, Health

Chandigarh,Sandeep Juneja, October 25 :Advocacy Workshop on Red Ribbon
Express was held at Commonwealth Youth Asia Centre, workshop commenced
at 3.00 pm here at CYP in Sector 12, Chandigarh. All the media persons
and members of implementing organizations from Rajiv Gandhi
Foundation, NACO, and NYKS were present on the occasion.

The conference-cum-workshop started at the arrival of Sh. Satish Chandra (IAS)
and he was received by Sh. J.S. Kooner. Sh. Satish Chandra (IAS) Secretary
Health-cum-Project Director, addressed the media and attendees and responded to
their queries regarding the project.

He was accompanied by Deputy Project Director Dr. N.M. Sharma;  Sh. Sukhdev
Singh, Deputy Director, NYKS; Dr. G.S. Bajwa, Distt. Youth
Coordinator, NYKS, Chandigarh, and other honorable guests. Questions
were coming all over from media and all dignitaries were answering
them very politely.

Answering one of the question Sh. Satish Chandra said that NGOs have a
major role in the overall scenario in fighting with AIDS. And at
present there are 21 NGOs working with them on approximately 24
different AIDS/HIV projects. They are coving the general population.

He also added that there were 2100 HIV/AIDS cases in 2006; 45 cases in
2007; and 2600 cases so far till September 2008 have been registered
with them.

Briefing about the Red Ribbon Express train he told that there will be
7 coaches in the train. In the fourth coach there will be 2 male
doctors, 2 female doctors, and 2 senior doctors will be available for
consultancy to the visitors. There will be HIV/AIDS tests conducted.

Dr. Avnish Jolly who has been associated with this AIDS Awearness
campaign said that it's a fight for life for him. He has dedicated his
life for HIV/AIDs patients. He said HIV/AIDs can be treated but cannot
be cured and he always has aspired to work for the families of
HIV/AIDs patients. He appreciated Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, NACO, and
NYKS for starting this kind of initiative to bring awareness to the
people of India

Giving a summary of this project Sh. J. S. Kooner told us that the Red
Ribbon Express Project, conceptualized by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, is
being implemented by NACO as a multi-sectoral project to spread
awareness on HIV/AIDS and promote safe behavioral practices. It is a
National Campaign to mainstream the issue of HIV/AIDS through a train
that will traverse over programmes and activities in 43,200 villages.
The concept is a broad based multimedia, multi-sectoral mass
mobilization project in the country to make it a holistic and
comprehensive campaign to mobilize people's movement against HIV/AIDS.

He also told us that the Express train will reach Punjab by 27th of
October, 2008 in Bathinda. This will be its fourth phase and first
destination in Punjab. Crossing Bathinda it will reach Fazilka, then
Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Amritsar and finally in Chandigarh.
In all of these destinations the train will show the exhibition
displayed in it's 7 coaches. Also, the artists will perform several
AIDS awareness plays in 24 villages of each city. Village Pachayati
Raj Institutions (PRIs) have been informed of the dates of arrival of
this train. They will further coordinate with youth clubs, anganwari
workers, and health workers in their areas.

It will be responsibility of PRIs to gather people for nukkad plays to
aware people of HIV/AIDS. There will be free Advice Centers (Salaah
Kendras) in the train itself. And, he added that we have provided
consultation with doctors at no cost. So he advised that the maximum
people could benefit from this campaign will be a success of this event.

http://www.theindiapost.com/?p=6608

 
Dear Forum,

Is there a document on the roles of the district program manager and also on the
policy for recruitment. I understand that in other states medical doctors are
appointed as DPM. In tamilnadu, non-medical persons are appointed. Does NACO
have any policy on this?. Will this kind of deviation in recruitment policy
impact the implementation of NACP III.

Also I read about District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit for all distrcits,
in NACP III. Does Tamilnadu have these staff in place.

Can any of the forum members / TANSACS write about this for my understanding.

Thanks

Dr. S.Raman
e-mail: <tenthplanet@...>