**********************************************************
SAATHII Electronic News Letter
HIV NEWS FROM INDIA

SOURCE: www.timesonline.co.uk, The Indian Express, www.medindia.net,
www.ibnlive.com, www.newkerala.com, www.mangalorean.com, The Times of
India, The Business Standard and www.nagalandpost.com

Posted on: 19/06/2007

COMPILED BY: Randhir Kumar, B. Vilasini, and L. Ramakrishnan
SAATHII Chennai office.

Note: this compilation contains news items about HIV/AIDS
published in the Indian media, as well as articles relevant to
HIV/AIDS in India published internationally. Articles in this
and previous newsletters may also be accessed at
http://www.saathii.org/orc/elibrary

===============================================================

1. Relief for India over new HIV figures.(New Delhi)
www.timesonline.co.uk, June 13, 2007.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1917853.ece

2. Symposium to strengthen police response to HIV.(Pune)
The Indian Express, June 13, 2007.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=240878

3. State AIDS Control Society shows the door to five NGOs.(Chandigarh)
www.ibnlive.com, June 13, 2007.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india-360-sex-education-a-taboo/37606-3.html

4. HIV Awareness Increases as Condoms are Distributed in Gujarat.
www.medindia.net, June 14, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/HIV-Awareness-Increases-as-Condoms-are-Distributed-\
in-Gujarat-Theatres-Screening-Porn-Films-22003-1.htm

5. Britain funds 250 million pounds for Indian children.(India)
www.newkerala.com, June 14, 2007.
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=38688

6. AIDS patient helps others lead a positive life.(Hyderabad)
www.mangalorean.com, June 16, 2007.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=45818

7. Bill on HIV/AIDS Delayed Further.(India)
www.medindia.net, June 17, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/Bill-on-HIV-AIDS-Delayed-Further-22153-1.htm

8. Blood ties that can kill.(New Delhi)
The Times of India, June 17, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Blood_ties_that_can_kill/articleshow/2128693.\
cms

9. Money-spinning numbers.(New Delhi)
The Business Standard, June 19, 2007.
http://www.business-standard.com/opinionanalysis/storypage.php?leftnm=4&subLeft=\
2&chklogin=N&autono=287989&tab=r

10. FPAI conducts sharing experiences on JTFP.(Kohima)
www.nagalandpost.com, June 19, 2007.
http://www.nagalandpost.com/Statedesc.asp?sectionid=41253

===============================================================

1. Relief for India over new HIV figures.(New Delhi)
www.timesonline.co.uk, June 13, 2007.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1917853.ece


New Delhi: Relief for India over new HIV figures


India has fewer cases of HIV-AIDS than previously thought and has almost
certainly dropped behind South Africa as the country with the highest
caseload.

UNAIDS, the United Nations agency, estimated last year that India had
5.7 million HIV cases compared with about 5.5 million in South Africa.

The Indian National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) put the figure at
5.2 million and some Indian officials accused Western AIDS experts of
exaggeration.

Now a new study conducted by UNAIDS, NACO and other organisations is
expected to end the debate by revealing a new total — possibly as
low as 3.4 million — which they all agree will be the most accurate
estimate to date. "There is so much more data.

We're going to arrive at a much more accurate picture," Denis Broun,
India country director for UNAIDS, told The Times."What seems to be clear
is that we're going to have a prevalence lower than what we previously
found."

Although the 5.7 million figure was the highest numerically, because the
South African population is 43 million against the 1.13 billion in India,
the incidence of cases in the former is much greater.

It was too early to give a new figure, Dr Broun said, since the data was
still being compiled and analysed and the Indian Government would not
release the final report until the beginning of next month.

He added, however, that when UNAIDS made its estimate last year, the agency
said that the real figure could be anywhere between 3.4 million and nine
million.

"Now we're looking at a little lower than 3.4 million at the lower end and
less than eight million at the higher end," he said. "For the country as a
whole, the risk of an Africa-type epidemic is very remote." The Hindustan Times
daily newspaper said at the weekend that the new estimate would be about
3.5 million.

The results represent a symbolic victory for the Indian Government, which has
long argued that AIDS experts overplay the number of cases.

It is investing £1 billion in schemes such as setting up free test centres and
distributing free condoms and has raised this year's budget for AIDS prevention
to 9.7 billion rupees (£120 million).

Officials attributed the study's results in large part to prevention programmes
among pregnant women and sex workers, especially in high-risk southern states
such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Dr Broun and other AIDS experts said that infection rates were rising among
intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men. They said that the
results were more a reflection of the improved methodology that they
were using,
rather than a change in the situation on the ground.

India previously measured HIV cases purely through state-run surveillance sites
where blood samples are taken from pregnant women, men having sex with men,
prostitutes and intravenous drug users. The new study, which was partly funded
by USAID, the American overseas aid agency, expanded the number of surveillance
sites to 1,100 from 700 in previous years.

More significantly, it included the findings of a government population health
survey that tested 100,000 adults randomly between December 2005 and
August 2006.

===============================================================

2. Symposium to strengthen police response to HIV.(Pune)
The Indian Express, June 13, 2007.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=240878


Pune: A Symposium focused on strengthening police response to HIV
was held where senior police officers joined hands with Maharashtra State AIDS
Control Society, civil society organisations and groups working on HIV
prevention
among marginalised populations to prevent the spread of HIV.

Pune district has an estimated HIV prevalence of 1.8 per cent. Not only are men
in uniformed services such as the police more vulnerable to HIV, as
law enforcers
they have a major role to play among groups vulnerable to HIV such as
sex workers,
drug users, men who have sex with men.

Sankar Sen, IPS, and former director, National Police Academy, said it
was their
duty to uphold the rights of citizens, particularly marginalised sections such
as sex workers.

"Many are playing an important role in HIV prevention by spreading safe sex
messages in their community," he said.

Prakash Sabde, project director, Maharashtra State AIDS Control
Society (MSACS),
said the police had a large role in HIV prevention as they not only
help maintain
law and order but also act as a link between vulnerable populations
and society.

In addition, they must safeguard themselves from it. "HIV is a great leveller.
As police officers we ask that you first respond to it as a person," he said.

The symposium was organised by the Avahan India AIDS Initiative with
support from
Constella Futures and Pathfinder International. The objective was to create a
cohesive strategy to prevent and combat HIV.

It explored ways of strengthening collaboration between different stakeholders
such as the police and marginalised communities such as sex workers, injecting
drug users and men who have sex with men.

Prabhat Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police, said HIV awareness levels in the
police were not adequate to protect them from HIV. "We must educate
our ranks and
file on safe sex practices," he said.

It was decided to train trainers and peer educators from the police staff
to disseminate HIV prevention messages among the police force at all levels.

Pathfinder International will conduct training programmes for the police
stations at Pune, Shivajinagar, Swargate and other places in the city.
Around six lakh people are infected with HIV in the state.

Maharashtra needs a multi stakeholder partnership to upscale
prevention efforts.
"As we enter the third phase of the NAtional AIDS Control Programme, we need to
create meaningful partnerships and collaborations to catalyse a
nation-wide movement
against the spread of HIV," he said.

Chandrashekhar Daithankar, DCP, Zone III, suggested that every police
station have
posters and other information literature on HIV prevention. NGO Pathfinder
International has agreed make available information materials on
HIV/AIDS at each
police station in the city.

MSACS's targets

* Add nine more ART centres to the existing 17, making it 26 centres
* Train nurses and Aanganwadi workers at Primary Health Centres
* Encourage rural women to go in for voluntary testing
* To equip PHCs to administer nevarapine, prevent parent-to-child transmission

===============================================================

3. State AIDS Control Society shows the door to five NGOs.(Chandigarh)
www.ibnlive.com, June 13, 2007.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india-360-sex-education-a-taboo/37606-3.html


Chandigarh: State AIDS Control Society shows the door to five NGO's

The State AIDS Control Society (SACS), Chandigarh,
has decided to show the door to five of the 13 NGOs working under it.

The decision comes after a recent assessment found these NGOs not utilising
resources to the optimum.

SACS has also restructured projects, as its earlier startegy was not
yielding desired results. "Projects are being restructured under National
AIDS Control Programme (NACP) III," said Sandeep Mittal, NGO Advisor, SACS.

"As part of this, we assessed the working of NGOs, both qualitatively and
quantitatively," he said.

The assessment found five NGOs not only lacking in peer education of the
affected groups, but also without proper management of STI (Sexually
Transmitted Infections.

Clinics in their respective areas and development of IEC (Information,
Education and Communication) material, too, were poor.

"For example, there is nothing written in NACO guidelines about management
of IDU and MSM core groups," said the officer. "Therefore, NGOs have to develop
their own material and strategy. But many lacked the capacity to use funds for
these purposes."

Under the changed strategy of NACP III, NGOs will now be working closely with
core groups. "Female sex workers (FSW), injecting drug users (IDU), homosexuals
or MSM are the core groups, and we have to reach out to as many as possible,"
said Mittal.

"Earlier, one NGO was given a particular area and it had to address all the
core groups, No specific target intervention, therefore, could take place,"
Mittal explained. "This resulted in NGOs ignoring one target group or working
on only a specific area so that a lot of fund meant for certain groups was
left unused."

"We have also scaled down the number of projects from 14 to 10. Five
unproductive NGOs will, therefore, have to go. Since the file is still pending
with the concerned authorities, we don't have the names," said Mittal said.

SACS Director Dr Sonia Trikha, too, said, "We will take in two new ones. The
restructuring is aimed at producing better results with less wastage of
resources," said.

===============================================================

4. HIV Awareness Increases as Condoms are Distributed in Gujarat.
www.medindia.net, June 14, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/HIV-Awareness-Increases-as-Condoms-are-Distributed-\
in-Gujarat-Theatres-Screening-Porn-Films-22003-1.htm


Gujarat: HIV Awareness Increases as Condoms are Distributed in Gujarat
Theatres Screening Porn Films

Gujarat, the western Indian state is ruled by Hindu zealots. But they
seem to have had the sense to take precautions against HIV/AIDS by
encouraging distribution of condoms at vulnerable points.

The move is paying dividends, officials say.

Particularly making available condoms at theatres screening porn films
in Surat has succeeded in spreading awareness of the epidemic among
vulnerable groups. The city has a large number of migrant laborers
who come to the city to work in its diamond and textile factories.

Gujarat is not a high HIV/AIDS prevalence state, but in its 2004
estimates, India's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO)
said there had been a significant increase in the number of cases
being reported in the state.

Snehlata Bhatia, project manager of the program at Surat Municipal
Corporation, said the state could be described as a "middle
prevalence" state.

Since they decided to target audiences at theatres showing pornographic films,
the results had been more than encouraging, she said. "In our attempts
to spread
HIV/AIDS awareness, we study where our target groups live, the places
they visit,
"Mrs Bhatia told BBC News.

"We are already working with the diamond industry and the builder's
association and when we realised that a lot of migrant labourers were
coming to these cinemas to watch porn films, we got in touch with these
cinemas."

According to Dinesh Prajapati, a member of the Sargam Manav Seva
Charitable Trust,
an NGO working on the project, many migrant workers who visit these theatres
often pick up prostitutes hanging around the cinemas and take them inside the
hall or to a cheap guest house afterwards.

"Here, we are reaching out to two major high-risk groups and we don't only
provide them with condoms to promote safe sex, but also give them information
about HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases," he said.

===============================================================

5. Britain funds 250 million pounds for Indian children.(India)
www.newkerala.com, June 14, 2007.
http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=38688


India: Britain funds 250 million pounds for Indian children

Gareth Thomas, minister for International Development has announced an
aid of 250 million pound for the poor in India to reduce the number of
death of children below the age of five years.

The funds will also be used to ensure that when mothers give birth,
a doctor or nurse is available for medical support.

Groups with high risk of getting infected with AIDS such as commercial
sex workers and drugs users will benefit from funds for expanding education
programmes that teach them how to protect themselves.

"India has gained a reputation as a major economic superpower.
But we should not forget that one in three Indians survive on less
than 50 pence a day. Only one in four children from India's poorest
families are immunised against killer diseases as compared to three
in four from the richest families," Mr Thomas said.

The funds will also be used to improve healthcare for other socially
deprived groups such as dalits, indigenous people, and minorities,
including Muslims.

Most of the funding will go directly to the states of Orissa,
Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

The announcement came after the Department for International Development
(DFID) had launched a public debate on how UK aid for India can be
better spent.

Britain's AIDS budget for India is set to increase upto 300 million
pounds for 2008 and designed to improve healthcare, get more children
into primary schools and reduce poverty in India.

===============================================================

6. AIDS patient helps others lead a positive life.(Hyderabad)
www.mangalorean.com, June 16, 2007.
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=45818


Hyderabad: Hina Banu thought of committing suicide
when she became HIV infected. Six years later, she is fighting discrimination
against HIV positive people and teaching them how to live with the disease.

Associated with the NGO ActionAid for the last three years, 27-year-old Hina
from Davangere district in Karnataka works among HIV positive people,
counselling them on how to overcome their suffering and make life productive.

ActionAid organised a four day National Conclave of Marginalized Social Groups
here from June 11 where Hina shared her experiences and inspired many AIDS
patients who attended the meeting.

The conclave, which concludes Thursday, called for making anti-retroviral (ART)
treatment accessible to all HIV positive people. Break in supply of ART drugs
can shorten the lifespan of AIDS patients. Only 6.8 percent of those with
advanced HIV infection in India have access to ART.

According to ActionAid, as many as 5.7 million Indians are HIV positive and the
virus killed over 270,000 people in 2005. Some experts dispute this figure.

Abhay Bimba, the NGO established by Hina in Davangere, works among HIV positive
people and high-risk groups and gives them useful tips on how to
protect themselves.

"I don't want people to undergo the kind of pain and suffering which I had to
undergo and that is why I tell them that they can live a fulfilling
life without
bothering too much about their disease," Hina told IANS.

"I also give health tips to them and advise them to take more
nutritious food and
protect themselves from cold, cough and other infections," she said.

Born in a poor Muslim family, Hina was educated only up to Class 10. She was
married off at the age of 20. When she got pregnant, doctors diagnosed that
she is HIV positive.

"I did not even know what HIV positive is but doctors told my family
that it is a
dangerous disease and whoever comes into contact with me may also get
affected,"
said Hina.

Her parents and in-laws boycotted her but her HIV positive husband stood by her.

"Ostracized by the family and society, we shifted to Bangalore. It was the
worst moment of my life. We were thinking of ending our lives when I met a
counsellor from ActionAid who encouraged us to live," she said.

Hina and husband then returned to Davangere to fight for not just themselves
but hundreds of other HIV positive people.

"We tried to mobilize HIV positive people and started educating them about
the disease and the precautions to be taken. It was difficult in the beginning
but we finally succeeded in convincing them," she sad.

Although Hina's husband died a year ago, she continued with her struggle.
"My parents and other family members also accepted me back," she said.

===============================================================

7. Bill on HIV/AIDS Delayed Further.(India)
www.medindia.net, June 17, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/Bill-on-HIV-AIDS-Delayed-Further-22153-1.htm


India: Bill on HIV/AIDS Delayed Further

India is still humming and hawing over the legislation aimed at preventing
discrimination of the HIV infected at the workplace and in education.

Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said that the HIV/AIDS bill was
being delayed as the Government was still holding talks with the NGOs on
the issue that could guarantee safe-working environment and social security
to the millions of infected.

The bill also provides for access to treatment and lays down the obligations
of the State. Under grievance redressal, the bill would help in the appointment
of health ombudsman, bring in institutional obligations, usher in special
proecedures in courts, and prescribes penalties for those who violate the
new provisions.

Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit has drafted the bill in consultation with
the Centre, people living with HIV, healthcare providers and NGOs.

It mainly addresses the issue of discrimination in employment, healthcare,
education and other places, besides informed consent for testing, treatment
and research.

After national consultations throughout the nation, the bill was submitted
to National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) in August 2005. Nearly two
years have passed. The Centre had announced that the bill would be taken
up in the budget session. Now, the Health Minister is talking about further
consultations.

The bill also proposes protection of inheritance and property rights and
recognises community-based alternatives to institutionalisation for
vulnerable and affected children.

"Africa failed to address the problem of HIV infected children and now
everyone there is paying for it.We can't take that risk," says
Kezevino Aram, president, Shanti Ashram, a Coimbatore based NGO,
underlining the need to have a legislation in place as soon as
possible.

===============================================================

8. Blood ties that can kill.(New Delhi)
The Times of India, June 17, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Blood_ties_that_can_kill/articleshow/2128693.\
cms


New Delhi: It's a danger that most of us are not even aware of in India.

For, every time there is an urgent need for blood donation, we first look
for volunteers at home. But did you know that blood transfusion from a
relative is far more dangerous than that from an unknown donor? It can
even lead to death in many cases.

In fact, global studies have shown, that even though blood from an unknown
volunteer tested by the standard ELISA process (for HIV infection), may not
be fully safe, the risk of infection is much less, say one in five lakh.

"That's equivalent to the risk of dying in an aeroplane crash. But on the
contrary, blood transfusion between close relatives may lead to
life-threatening
complications and the risk is one in a thousand," says Dr C Shivaram, chief,
transfusion services, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore.

Statistics show transmission of infections like HIV and hepatitis are more
common among patients with blood transfusion from relatives than unknown
voluntary donors. That's because normally, relatives never ever disclose
their deviant behaviour especially to their near and dear ones.

So, during a crisis they are most willing to donate, but "in a way they are
forced donors," explains Dr Shivaram.

Blood donation from close relatives could lead to Post-Transfusion Graft Versus
Host Disease (PT-GVHD).

This is an under-recognised, under-reported entity in India, even
though all developed countries have recognised this long ago and no
longer encourage donations from relatives. Experts say, GVHD is even
more dangerous than HIV.

For, with HIV one can still survive up to 10 years or more but with GVHD death
is certain within a month. The mortality rate from PT-GVHD is as high
as 90-100%.

"Till date no individual, who has developed PT-GVHD, has survived in India,"
says Dr Shivaram.

A study done by Dr Shivaram in Bangalore between May 2005 and July
2006, revealed
four cases of PT-GVHD deaths from blood donations by kin. Perhaps,
many more such
deaths are going undiagnosed and unreported all over India for years.

In Bangalore, all four patients had received fresh blood from close relatives.
And they reported with symptoms of GVHD — very high fever and rashes on the
skin. Eventually, all four patients died within a month of receiving fresh
blood from relatives.

In fact, fresh blood, too, is another risk factor, for it could lead to GVHD.
Dr Shivaram says blood should always be stored as components like red
blood corpuscle,
white blood corpuscle and platelets are transfused based on the requirements of
a patient.

Unfortunately, even tested blood is not safe, say experts. For ELISA
only tests for
HIV antibodies and it takes about a month to be formed. Therefore,
early infections
could easily go undetected.

To overcome this problem, Manipal Hospital Bangalore has designed the
Nucleic acid
amplification test or NAT test for the first time in India. "This is a
genetic test
that looks at the gnome material and finds out the HIV and Hepatitis B
& C genes
present in the blood" says Dr Shivaram.

So far, over 14,300 samples have been tested. One case of HIV positive
and another
of Hepatitis B positive, missed by the conventional ELISA method, were detected
under it. "Since blood is split into components, had this test not
been performed,
probably six patients would have become infected with HIV or Hepatitis B,"
says Dr Shivaram.

Next time you go looking for blood donors, look beyond your family — you could
be saving a life that way.

===============================================================

9. Money-spinning numbers.(New Delhi)
The Business Standard, June 19, 2007.
http://www.business-standard.com/opinionanalysis/storypage.php?leftnm=4&subLeft=\
2&chklogin=N&autono=287989&tab=r


New Delhi: Money-spinning numbers

Activists of the Joint Action Council Kannur deflate NACO figures on
HIV/AIDS; the
motive for the fudging is the Rs 13,000 crore waiting to be spent on
HIV/AIDS prevention
in the next five years.

What's in a number? Money, if nothing else; especially if the number
relates to the
HIV/AIDS cases in India and the Third World. While these numbers had a
habit of going
up for the past decade, unless nudged down by alert activists, last
week they went down
by over a couple of million, according to a US-funded study.

The number of HIV/AIDS cases in India went much lower than the
government figure of
3.5 million cases 10 years ago to 5.2 million now.

No wonder, since the national AIDS control programme has entered its
third phase and a
budget of Rs 13,000 crore is waiting to be spent in the coming five
years. This is equal
to the health ministry's budget for one year.

Two people smiling at the statistical acrobatics of funding agencies and funded
bodies are activists Purushottaman Mulloli and Anju Singh of the Joint
Action Council
Kannur.

Both have been scanning the HIV/AIDS data, much to the inconvenience
of organisations
like UNAIDS and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

Mulloli says: This is just to prepare the public for the new national
family health
survey findings, which will put the figure below 3 million. When they
release the
figures next month, I will prove them to be fraudulent too. I will
finally prove that
the real prevalence is zero. That is when I will truly celebrate.

He adds: It is a systematic approach by international agencies to
discredit the Indian
government and to hijack the HIV programme.

If you ask him to be reasonable, his reply is: It is enough that I
know I have blocked
every escape route for these global agencies. No one needs to believe me.

This is a totally different man from the one who was pursuing the
media 10 years ago
to point out that the scary statistics for Manipur, painted as the
AIDS capital of the
world, were fraudulent. He proved this even as NACO was at pains to
save its face.

NACO did up to 40,557 tests in Manipur from 1986 to 1996 and found
3,712 HIV-positive
cases. The prevalence, it said, was 9.15 per cent, several times that
of any country,
including India, where the figure then was 0.7 per cent.

In 2000, NACO reported 5,327 positive cases in 29,975 tests done from
1986 to 1998.
The prevalence: 18 per cent.

There was an obvious fudging of figures as the number of tests were reduced by
nearly 10,000 to get a higher prevalence rate. Mulloli and Singh
highlighted this
and Health Minister CP Thakur, after a question in Parliament,
announced that NACO
would release new figures using a different surveillance method.

Surprisingly, the prevalence in Manipur was down to 0.4 per cent! But
Manipur continues to be mentioned as a high-risk state. When JACK
challenged this, NACO put the data related
to drug-users on its website.

When this was questioned, NACO removed all data on Manipur for a year. In fact,
from 2001, NACO stopped releasing detailed data on tests and HIV cases
in its annual
reports.

Mulloli doesn't exactly blame NACO. He says faceless white and brown
consultants are
manufacturing data for NACO, which is eager to please its donors. He
blames the ignorance of the public. The government knows the people
here won't react and so they dare to do this, he says.

And what happens to the Rs 13,000 crore? Well, now more money can be
given to drug companies, says Mulloli.

Now, some numbers which mean neither money nor concern: Two million
new TB cases every year, 9 million cholera cases annually, over 5
million female foeticides over two
decades till 2001.

===============================================================

10. FPAI conducts sharing experiences on JTFP.(Kohima)
www.nagalandpost.com, June 19, 2007.
http://www.nagalandpost.com/Statedesc.asp?sectionid=41253


Kohima: In a twist of turn, the spread of HIV in Nagaland seems to
have changed its course
from needles and syringes to unprotected sex threatening the general public.

Dr. Dietho Koza, consultant, Japan Trust Fund Project (JTFP), FPA
India, Nagaland Branch
revealed this while sharing his observation at the get-together for
the clients and
beneficiaries of Japan Trust Fund Project, organized by FPAI Nagaland
Branch on Saturday
evening at Hotel Japfu conference hall here.

Unlike in the late 1980s and early 1990s HIV has spread to general
public today and
everyone is at risk of getting infected through unprotected sex. In
this regard, the Japan
Trust Fund Project on Sexual Reproductive Health is the most novel of
its kind, Dr Koza said.

He also felt that the work should be sustained and duplicated with
greater efficiency and
resources.

"Those days are gone when people used to call HIV as a disease of drug
addicts" he said
adding "at present time, I would rather call it a disease of carelessness".

The FPAI, Kohima branch organized the occasion to share their
experiences of the recently
concluded Japan Trust Fund Project undertaken by the Branch for
"Addressing Sexual
Reproductive Health needs of IDUs and their Sexual Partners for
HIV/AIDS Prevention"

Several clients and beneficiaries from the project came together on
the occasion and shared their experiences and views on the project.

While thanking the FPAI for taking up the project, the clients who spoke on the
occasion also stressed the need for the Association to continue with
such project.

Working at Family Planning Association of India, particularly the
Japan Trust Fund Project
has been a blessing personally, said Chuchung, Outreach Worker, JTF
Project, adding that
"The works and programs, the trainings and the encouragements, all
have helped me strive
harder towards sobriety and healthy positive living."

"The Japan Trust Fund is a very special and prestigious pilot project"
undertaken by
FPAI Nagaland Branch, said H.Hesso, President, AIC Member, FPA India,
Nagaland Branch.

He also thanked the FPAI headquarter for allowing the branch to carry
out the project
saying "this indeed carries more relevance and meaning due to the fact
that Nagaland is
amongst the sixth high prevalence region with regard to HIV besides
been a haven for
drug transit and addiction,".

V. Vincent Belho, Branch Manager, FPA India, Nagaland Branch said that
the project titled
'Addressing Sexual Reproductive Health needs of IDUs and their Sexual
partners for
HIV/AIDS prevention' was started with the goal of "Reduction in the risk taking
behavior / practices amongst IDUs & their Sexual Partners" in Kohima town.

The purpose of the Japan Trust Fund project was to reach out to 300
IDUs and their
sexual partners (male & female) in and around Kohima town with
comprehensive Sexual
Reproductive Health Services. (Including clean needles and syringes)," he said.

Belho also stated that the Japan Trust Fund project would not have
seen the light of
the day, had it not been for the unconditional willingness and encouragement
to support the endeavor of Family Planning Association of India,
Nagaland Branch
by both Kripa Foundation Nagaland and Nagaland Users Network.

Sunep Jamir, Client, JTF Project, Renu Imchen, Client, JTF Project and
Ilato Kiba,
Outreach worker JTF Project also shared their experiences at the function.

===============================================================

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the above articles
are those of the respective newspapers, not those of
SAATHII.