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

SOURCE: www.livemint.com, www.kanglaonline.com, The Business Standard,
The Economic Times, www.medindia.net,The Hindu, The Financial
Express, www.ndtv.com, The Times of India and The World Bank Group.

Posted on: 04/08/2007

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.'DFID is committed to working with the poorest people in India'.(New Delhi)
www.livemint.com, July 2, 2007.
http://www.livemint.com/2007/07/02041116/DFID-is-committed-to-working.html

2. Imphal declaration on HIV/AIDS hailed by NGOs in Manipur.(Imphal)
www.kanglaonline.com, July 2, 2007
http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=38436&typeid=1

3. Peers help truckers combat HIV/AIDS.(New Delhi)
The Business Standard, July 3, 2007.
http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=2&chklog\
in=N&autono=289705&tab=r

4. India looking for its own AIDS crusader.(New Delhi)
The Economic Times, July 3, 2007.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/India_looking_for_its_ow\
n_AIDS_crusader/articleshow/2160548.cms

5.'Advise BPO workers on healthy living'.(New Delhi)
The Economic Times, July 4, 2007.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Infotech/ITeS/Advise_B\
PO_workers_on_healthy_living/articleshow/2168920.cms

6. India AIDS Cases Due to Drop, Spending Up.(New Delhi)
www.medindia.net, July 4, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/India-AIDS-Cases-Due-to-Drop-Spending-Up-22946-1.ht\
m

7. Filmmakers team up to deliver message on AIDS in cinema halls.(Chennai)
The Hindu, July 5, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200707041720.htm

8. A life cover that gives victims of HIV/AIDS a caring touch.(Mumbai)
The Financial Express, July 5, 2007.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=169223

9. New AIDS figures show low prevalence.(Chennai)
www.ndtv.com, July 6, 2007.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070017880

10. HIV patients to get insurance cover.(Chennai)
The Hindu, July 6, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200707061721.htm

11. India now third on world's AIDS list.(New Delhi)
The Times of India, July 6, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_now_third_on_worlds_AIDS_list/articlesh\
ow/2183489.cms

12. A Brief on HIV/AIDS in INDIA.(Washington)
The World Bank Group, July 7, 2007.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21396517~pagePK:3437\
0~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html

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

1.'DFID is committed to working with the poorest people in India'.(New Delhi)
www.livemint.com, July 2, 2007.
http://www.livemint.com/2007/07/02041116/DFID-is-committed-to-working.html



New Delhi:'DFID is committed to working with the poorest people in India'.

As India's economy grows, it is changing course from a nation that
receives aid to one that gives.

Yet, even as donors scale back funding programmes, the UK's Department
for International Development (DFID) recently announced that it
would give more than Rs2,000 crore as additional development aid,
over the next eight years.

It plans to include a system of more direct giving to the Union and
state governments. UK officials have said they want their efforts to
also reach into states such as Bihar, where non-profits had feared that
a corrupt environment prevents aid from reaching those who need it.

Susanna Moorehead, head of DFID's programmes here, sat down with Mint
recently to discuss key issues for India's largest bilateral aid programme.


Excerpts:


Did DFID's decision to increase aid take people by surprise, given that
the rest of the world is cutting aid to India as its economy expands?
No, I don't think so.

Prime Minister Tony Blair made a commitment in 2002 to increase aid
to India to £300 million (Rs2,460 crore), and we are working towards
that. Even though India's economy is growing at more than 8%, it still
has at least a quarter of the world's poor.

The British government has a relationship with India that goes far beyond
aid, and the government sees DFID's work here as an integral part of the
partnership between our countries.

DFID currently focuses on Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and
West Bengal. Can you speak on how closely DFID is looking at expanding
programmes into Bihar?

DFID is committed to working with the poorest people in India, and Bihar
surely competes for the bottom of the league table. We already provide
£12 million in support every year through centrally sponsored schemes,
but our government decided just over a year ago that we should target
more resources in the poorest states that we hadn't been working in
up until now.

I think there is a window of opportunity now to both, politically and
economically, engage in Bihar in a way that DFID has in other states.
DFID has said it will focus on health. How will that fit in with your
plans in Bihar and what else will you focus on?

The government of Bihar has set its own priorities and health is one
of those. Related to that, we will look at nutrition. Bihar has some
of the highest prevalence of child under-nutrition in India.

We're already providing £75 million to Unicef—not only in Bihar but in
the poorest states—and they are doing a lot of work on child health
indicators.

What will be different in DFID's support for the third phase of the
national AIDS policy versus the previous round?
The way that we are providing support has changed.

We're bringing HIV and AIDS into line with the way we fund other
complex government schemes, which is putting the resources through
the government's budget. That's not to say that we just put the money
in and hope for the best.

We have a rigorous system of monitoring and identifying within
development work what we will and won't fund.But... the scale of
the problem is such that the government is really the only
institution that's got the size and the democratic mandate to tackle
HIV and AIDS.

And we would rather support the government in bringing civil society
into that process rather than funding civil society and government
independently.

What are the biggest challenges the government faces in this area?
In many ways it's the same challenge that faces poverty reduction in
India.

It's the scale of the problem, even though until now prevalence rates
have been mercifully low (less than 1% of India's 1.1 billion people
have HIV) in percentage terms. In numbers terms you have millions who
live with HIV already in India (current government estimates say
5.2 million).

There is also the complication of a huge variety between states and
what is causing HIV within those states. For example, in the North-East
it is closely correlated with intravenous drug use. Elsewhere, we're
finding increasing transmission rates from men to women and then from
women to children.

So, the situation is so varied it's hard to think of India as a single
HIV problem. In a sense, all the problems you see all over the world,
you find in different parts of India.

News reports in recent weeks have projected that India will revise
its HIV and AIDS estimates down, possibly by as much as a half.

As one of the largest outside donors to HIV and AIDS programmes here,
does this concern you?

The first thing to say is that the government is still looking at the
data and has promised to take a view on the official figure by next month
and we will wait for that outcome.

The second is that if there are two or three million fewer people
infected with HIV and AIDS, then we are delighted. But the fact is
there would still be two or three million infected and that's a
huge number.

It's not that figures have been inflated in a purposeful way. It's just
that this is an incredibly hard thing to get reliable estimate on.
Any step in the direction of getting a more accurate picture is to be
welcomed.

The key issue for us is, which way is the trend going? Is it going up or
down or is it being contained? The fact that prevalence rates still
seem to be at 1%—if it falls below that, fantastic, but that's not to
say that DFID's resources won't be well used.

If an improved methodology produces revised figures, that is not
reason to take our foot off the accelerator.

No one doubts the scale of the AIDS crisis and even if it is two
or three million less than we thought, it is still a crisis.

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

2. Imphal declaration on HIV/AIDS hailed by NGOs in Manipur.(Imphal)
www.kanglaonline.com, July 2, 2007.
http://www.kanglaonline.com/index.php?template=headline&newsid=38436&typeid=1



Imphal: Imphal declaration on HIV/AIDS hailed by NGOs in Manipur.


Manipur is moving towards positive action in the fight against HIV/AIDS,
functionaries of NGOs working in the field of the dreaded disease said
on Sunday while welcoming yesterday`s recommendation of the one-day
conference of legislatures of Manipur.

"It will be a milestone for the state of Manipur if the government and
politicians convert into action the recommendations in the declaration as
early as possible," Bobby, general secretary of the Manipur Network for
Positive People, MNP+ told this correspondent.

The state government is taking up positive action knowing the menace of
HIV/AIDS, he added.

"I think the political initiative is very encouraging as committed
leadership is integral to the fight against HIV/AIDS," Chitra Ahanthem,
state coordinator, centre for Media advocacy and research, Imphal observed.

The comments of the officials of the NGOs came after constitution of the
Legislators Forum and signing of the historic "Imphal Declaration of
Manipur Legislators - 30th June, 2007" at a one-day conference on HIV/AIDS
held at the Assembly hall yesterday, a move of the state government that
drew wide appreciation.

Manipur became the 11th state in India to have a Legislators Forum on
HIV/AIDS. The forum was constituted under the guidance of the Parliamentary
Forum on HIV/AIDS formed in 2000 with support from UNAIDS and NACO.

The conference was the first ever of its kind in the state at which the
MLAs of the state signed the historic "Imphal Declaration of Manipur
Legislators - 30th June 2007" with the aim of strengthening the response
to HIV/AIDS in the state.

The fist case of HIV/AIDS was first detected 17 years back in Manipur
and since then there are more than 25,000 people living with the virus
today.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur and Nagaland have reported
HIV prevalence of more than one per cent among antenatal women representing
the general population and there are 5.2 million infected people in the
country, according to a recent report of the ministry of health and family
welfare.

More than 5,85,092 people have been tested positive at government counseling
and testing centres in the country since the start of the epidemic,
while 1,65,276 aids cases have been reported by the state health
authorities.

As in 2005, 140 districts in the country recorded HIV prevalence of more
than one per cent among antenatal women.

In order to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Union government is
implementing the National AIDS Control Programme as a 100 % centrally
sponsored scheme.

The strategy is based primarily on preventing new infections by focused
interventions among high risk groups and also providing care, support and
treatment to HIV infected persons.

The country coordinator of UNAIDS-India, Denis Brown, who attended the
Imphal legislatures` conference said, "Millions of people died due to
insufficient political leadership. Fair leadership can make a difference
and nothing will happen without your leadership."

The phenomenal success made possible in bringing down the incidence of
HIV/AIDS in Uganda due to the strong and committed political will to meet
the challenges of HIV/AIDS, Brown recounted.

"Your call should be that in the next five years, Manipur is not included
amongst the six high prevalence states of India. Nothing in the state
will happen without your leadership," Brown said urging legislators to
play a more effective role.

He also called for an effective goal setting in reducing the incidence
of HIV/AIDS in Manipur.

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

3. Peers help truckers combat HIV/AIDS.(New Delhi)
The Business Standard, July 3, 2007.
http://www.business-standard.com/economy/storypage.php?leftnm=3&subLeft=2&chklog\
in=N&autono=289705&tab=r



New Delhi: TCI ropes in 'peer group educators' and helps set up general
health clinics as part of the campaign.


Twenty-year-old Vimal used to be just another helper in a truck. Today,
he conducts sessions for other helpers and truck drivers about general
hygiene, health and, most importantly, sexually transmitted infections
at a Khushi Clinic.

The clinic is supported by transport and logistics major Transport Corporation
of India (TCI) in Ghaziabad through its corporate social responsibility arm,
Transport Corporation of India Foundation (TCIF).

The clinic, situated near a truckers' trans-shipment centre, is part of
a chain of mobile and static general health clinics set up by TCI near
truckers' halt points at 17 locations in the country and is part of its
Project Kavach, (kavach is armour in Hindi) which aims to check the spread
of HIV among long-distance truck drivers. Vimal is one of the 360 peer
educators working for the programme.

Project Kavach has its genesis in Microsoft founder Bill Gates' visit to
India in December 2003. Long-distance truckers were one of the groups he
wanted to cover in his AIDS prevention programme and he contacted TCI
for this.

After the programme was launched, an internal survey was conducted, in
which it was found that truckers suffer from "low self-esteem and stigma,"
said Anil Nair, project manager, Project Kavach, TCIF .

"So, we decided to emphasise on their role in society and their
responsibilities as individuals. Awareness about sexually transmitted diseases
is just one part of this," he said.

The sessions, conducted by Vimal and others like him are called Inter
Personal Communication and have peer group educators that include former
truck drivers, helpers and tea stall owners, and are about general
hygiene and health.

The importance of using condoms are a part of this. Each session, typically,
will have two trainers and 10-20 truckers and helpers. The trainers use
9 dialogue-based "tool" or cards to get their message across, such as
correcting myths like alcohol gives immunity to sexually transmitted
infections.

The trainers have become part of the programme for different reasons. Vimal,
for instance, became involved when he visited TCIF's Khushi Clinic in
Ghaziabad for treatment. There, he was asked whether he would be interested
to be part of the programme and he agreed.

Others, like 45-year-old Mahesh Chand Sharma, felt they should contribute
their bit to society. The trainers earn Rs 125 per hour per session, and
most of them earn an average of Rs 2,000-3,000 a month. Though it was not
easy getting the drivers to open up, the fact that the peer educators were
one among them made things easier.

Khushi Clinics are another part of Project Kavach. A typical Khushi Clinic,
such as the bright blue and yellow one in Ghaziabad, are general health
clinics with a doctor, a nurse, a counsellor and paramedical staff.

There is also a mobile unit, with separate staff, which goes to pre-determined
areas for a certain number of hours each day.

The focus is not just sexually transmitted infections, as it was felt that
this would restrict its reach. This also helps the patients confide more
easily to doctors when they have symptoms for the same.

Consultation fees are waived and medicine is provided at cost price. Though
no testing for AIDS is done at the clinics (except for the one in Bangalore),
referrals to other hospitals are given when there is a suspicion of the
virus being present.

TCIF, which aims to cover 1.4 million truckers by 2008, has tied up with
local NGOs. In Ghaziabad, it has tied up with the Cyriac Elias Voluntary
Association. Truck brokers are also an integral link. At several places,
the brokers' offices are used for carrying out the programme.

Other activities include street plays, film screenings and "trucker utsavs"
(infotainment events on a larger scale), besides sale of condoms through
800 non-traditional outlets.

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

4. India looking for its own AIDS crusader.(New Delhi)
The Economic Times, July 3, 2007.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/India_looking_for_its_ow\
n_AIDS_crusader/articleshow/2160548.cms



New Delhi: India looking for its own AIDS crusader.

India needs someone like Thai minister Mechai Viravaidya to aggressively
promote condom use and control HIV infection rates, the head of the country's
AIDS control agency said, The Times of India newspaper reported Friday.

Viravaidya, who is called Thailand's Mr. Condom, emerged as an AIDS crusader
in the early 1990s when he launched an aggressive condom distribution and
public education campaign, which helped to drop the country's number of
infections significantly.

"We are very serious about finding India's very own Mr Condom,'' K.
Sujatha Rao,
the head of India's National AIDS Control Program told the newspaper.

"He has to have a dynamic personality to change both government policy and
public perceptions about HIV, AIDS, sex and condoms," she said, the newspaper
reported.

"Most of India's AIDS epidemic is caused by sex and not infected blood
transfusions."

India, a conservative country where even talking about sex is considered
taboo, has faced enormous challenges in promoting condom use and safe sex.

UNAIDS said in data released last year that the country had the highest HIV
infections in the world at 5.7 million.

Rao also told the newspaper that NACO would soon set up a condom cell and
recruit graduates from the country's top management schools to help devise
government strategies to promote safe sex in the country.

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

5.'Advise BPO workers on healthy living'.(New Delhi)
The Economic Times, July 4, 2007.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Infotech/ITeS/Advise_B\
PO_workers_on_healthy_living/articleshow/2168920.cms



New Delhi: India's apex IT industry body has asked BPO firms to counsel
employees on healthy living following incidents of rowdy and aberrant
behaviour, including drunkenness and drug abuse, by call centre workers.

"Nasscom has asked BPO (business process outsourcing) firms to counsel their
employees on good and positive living and not to implement any alcohol or
HIV/AIDS test," said, Kiran Karnik, president, National Association of Software
and Service Employees (Nasscom).

"IT and ITeS is an industry where a whole lot of people are employed who are
young, just after graduation and put inside stressful work experience.

"Yes, there are companies who have sought our opinion on whether to implement
alcohol or HIV/AIDS tests. I also know that people do come drunk to work but
these problems can be sorted out," Karnik added.

The incidence of alcohol and drug abuse and HIV/AIDS is on the rise in call
centres. According to the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), companies
including Nasscom should come forward to voice concern and facilitate
platforms to discuss the issues with the employees.

Last month, a drunken call centre employee mowed down two children aged three
and six while severely injuring their mother and their one-year-old sister,
both of whom are still warded at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"I believe BPO firms should make it a part of their induction package about
the ill-effects of substance use and make efforts to de-glamourise its use,"
said Ashita Mittal, senior national programme officer, UNODC.

UNODC has organised road shows in front of some BPO firms in Gurgaon.
According to Mittal, the response was enormous.

She also said some of the leading BPO companies have approached UNODC to
campaign for them and advise the employees about the negative effects
of drugs.

"I would definitely like to say that risks and vulnerabilities are
increasing in the call centres. But then that is true for many industries
where employees do long night shifts and find it difficult to adjust with
life," she added.

"A lot of glamour is attached to the use of drug, which needs to be done
away with. It's the duty of the employers to talk with employees and
communicate with them about the issues in a fair and open environment."

Agrees Karnik, who believes that individual companies themselves should
set up counselling sessions and make them aware of the social disease.

"See, one has to understand that these are young boys and girls who have
put together to work under a very stressful environment. They are fresh
out of college, earning hefty salaries and it's obvious they would like
to experience things that might not be good for their life," Karnik
stressed.

"So instead of being a moral police it's always better to advice them
about is consequences."

Added Sam Chopra, president, Business Process Industry Association of
India (BPIAI), "It is a great idea to make the employees aware of
certain things such as alcohol and drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, pre-marital sex
and social relationships as part of their induction programme.
This will help in prevention.

"New Delhi-based psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh said, "Incidence of drug
abuse, alcohol, AIDS are definitely on a rise in the BPOs.

The people working for BPOs are exposed to physical stress, the body
clock goes for a toss leading to mental and emotional stress, which I
am sure are further complicated by the fact that the work itself
threatens to be monotonous."

"So, a lot of people feel wasted. People resort to drugs, alcohol
and sex for want of some variety, thrill, and feeling better about
themselves."

Indranil Paul (name changed), an employee of a leading Gurgaon-based
BPO, admitted there were plenty of problems.

"BPO jobs are stressful, but that's for any other job. And I believe
call centre jobs are much more challenging. So I think guys should
chill out and take it positively, others who can't just leave."

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

6. India AIDS Cases Due to Drop, Spending Up.(New Delhi)
www.medindia.net, July 4, 2007.
http://www.medindia.net/news/India-AIDS-Cases-Due-to-Drop-Spending-Up-22946-1.ht\
m



New Delhi: India AIDS Cases Due to Drop, Spending Up.


India is expected this week to release sharply lower AIDS figures but
also to announce a six-fold jump in spending to reduce the rate of
infection over the next five years, officials say.

Almost three billion dollars, including about a third from foreign
donors, will be poured into the next stage of India's HIV/AIDS prevention
efforts to be launched in New Delhi on Friday, a top official said.

Previous estimates from India's National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO) have put the HIV caseload in this country of more than one
billion people at 5.2 million, while UNAIDS in 2006 estimated 5.7
million cases.

That figure made India the country with the highest number of people
infected with HIV in the world.

Indian officials were tightlipped on Saturday about the new numbers.

"There will certainly be a decline but it has to be understood in the
correct context, with the correct reading," NACO director Sujatha Rao
told AFP.

A senior official with UNAIDS, the UN agency that coordinates the
campaign against HIV/AIDS, also told AFP earlier this month that the
numbers would likely drop.

"Most probably the figures will be lower than we thought," said Dennis
Broun, country director for UNAIDS India.

"When UNAIDS gave the estimate of 5.7 million in India we said it could
as low as 3.4 million and as high as nine. That is a very broad range.
It might be that it could be even lower".

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

7. Filmmakers team up to deliver message on AIDS in cinema halls.(Chennai)
The Hindu, July 5, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200707041720.htm



chennai: Filmmakers team up to deliver message on AIDS in cinema halls.


Indian cinemagoers will soon see short films by India's top directors about
the impact of HIV/AIDS, which will be screened ahead of Bollywood movie
blockbusters.

The "AIDS Jaago" project, a collaboration of filmmakers to raise awareness
about the disease, is the brainchild of India-born film director Mira Nair
and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Nair came up with the idea when a representative of the foundation contacted
her and presented "the startling statistic that if we don't control what's
happening in India in terms of the lack of awareness and stigma and other
things associated with HIV, the magnitude of India's HIV/AIDS epidemic
could equal that of Africa in a few years."

"I proposed that I would get together the most cutting-edge, commercial,
populist film directors from different regions of India who would each use
iconic movie stars who are recognized in our country, who would each make
a dramatic tale of 15 minutes in length," Nair told USINFO, a US
government-run website.

One AIDS topic was assigned to each director, "and then they had the freedom
to do what they needed to do," Nair said.

"I chose the directors I most admire," she said of filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj,
Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar.

Bhardwaj's film Blood Brothers is about the psychological impact of the
infection and "living positively with it," Nair said.

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

8. A life cover that gives victims of HIV/AIDS a caring touch.(Mumbai)
The Financial Express, July 5, 2007.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=169223



Mumbai: A life cover that gives victims of HIV/AIDS a caring touch.


In a landmark move, local standalone health insurance company Star Health
and Allied Insurance Company Ltd has decided to provide life cover to victims
of HIV/AIDS.

Until Star Health had moved in this direction, no insurance company had
volunteered this cover in the country.

The new policy would target over 5.7 million people infected by HIV/AIDS in
India, including 7.5 lakh full-blown HIV patients, V Jagannathan, managing
director, Star Health, said.

In an informal chat with the media after introducing new policies on Thursday,
Jagannathan said, "We have already received the green signal from the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) and hope to get its
final approval in a day or two."

"It is part of Star Health's internal strategy to serve the need of different
people with different products. We have products on diabetes, senior citizens,
non-resident Indians as well," he said.

"We plan to make it a separate vertical as it calls for dedicate attention and
can be done through different segments of people," Jagannathan said, adding,
the company plans to rope in a lot of NGOs and activists group to roll the
policy as early as possible.

The company earlier launched two new products, namely Senior Citizen's Red
Carpet and Diabetes Safe.

The Senior Citizen policy aims at targeting people between the age group of
60 and 69. It has a standard premium of Rs 5,000-10,000 annually, with a
life-long renewal guarantee.

The diabetes safe covers diabetic patients against the risk of complications
like retinopathy, nephropathy and diabetic foot ulcer, he said. "We plan to
launch one more high-end medical policy with a claim amount of
Rs 10 lakh," he added.

Star, which has 100 branches across the country, plans to open 28 more
branches to widen its pan-India presence. "We are targeting Rs 250 crore
business this fiscal against Rs 100 crore last fiscal," he added.

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

9. New AIDS figures show low prevalence.(Chennai)
www.ndtv.com, July 6, 2007.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070017880



Chennai: New AIDS figures show low prevalence.


After several disputed surveys about India's HIV/AIDS figures, an official
survey by the National AIDS Control Organisation makes clear that India
is not sitting on an AIDS time bomb.

The new figures, which will be released on Friday, say that India has
2.5 million HIV positive people, and not 5.7 million people as
believed earlier.

Last estimates by NACO, collected from samples taken from high-risk
groups like sex workers and STD clinics, had put the figure at 5.7 million
in the 15 to 49 age group.

But questions arose about the accuracy of those numbers when the third
National Family Health Survey, a population based study, showed that
the number could actually be around three million people.

The study, however, did not include high-risk groups like sex workers,
truckers or migrant labourers as they don't live in households.

''There are two surveys that were done by the NFHS and second by an
expert committee - WHO Geneva, CDC Atlanta, UNAIDS and NACO.

They compiled data of sentinel sites; they say prevalence point is
0.9 to 0.4,'' said Dr Anbumani Ramadoss Union Min for Health &
Family Welfare.

While the numbers controversy may be behind them, the government
needs to now strengthen its response to the disease and tackle the
widespread problem of discrimination and stigma.

The recent cases of HIV positive children being kept of school and a
father made to deliver his baby as his wife was HIV positive show
how tough the task is.

But for the moment, the government can afford to celebrate. Finally
they have a method that assesses the progress of HIV AIDS more
accurately.

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

10. HIV patients to get insurance cover.(Chennai)
The Hindu, July 6, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200707061721.htm



Chennai: HIV patients to get insurance cover.


For the first time ever, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-infected
patients in India are set to get insurance cover, thanks to the
pioneering initiative taken by the city-based Star Health and Allied
Insurance Company Ltd.

The country's first stand-alone health insurance company, Star Health
has already moved the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
(IRDA) seeking permission to launch a product to provide group
insurance cover for HIV-hit.

V. Jagannathan, Chairman and Managing Director, said the country had
5.7 million HIV-infected people. Estimates suggested that at least
0.75 million of them could be carrying full-blown AIDS (acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome), he pointed out.

The premium would be Rs.3,000 per person per year.

``The compensation becomes payable if an HIV patient is confirmed to be
carrying AIDS,'' he told The Hindu. The total cover per person would be
Rs.50,000. Mr. Jagannathan said Star Health would work in close co-operation
with non-government organizations (NGOs) and other social groups to
identify HIV cases and offer insurance cover.

The social stigma attached to HIV patients and the difficulty in
drawing the individuals out to take up a policy on their own had
forced Star Health to adopt the institutional route to offer this cover.

Star Health, he said, had also been holding talks with a Union Territory
to offer insurance cover of BPL (below poverty line) families.

The company, he said had already signed up with the Andhra Pradesh
Government to provide cover against dreadful diseases to 20 lakh BPL
families in three districts at an annual premium of Rs.66 crore.

Mr. Jagannathan said the company had settled claims to the extent of
Rs. 15 crore between April and June this year.

The company, he said, had also come out with a product called
`Red Carpet' for senior citizens. It offered hospitalization benefits
only for people above 60 years and up to 69 years, at entry level
and assured renewals thereafter.

The premium would be fixed (Rs.5,000 to Rs. 10,000) for a cover of
Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh.

There would be no pre-acceptance screening, he said. The policy would
cover even pre-existing diseases with a look-back period of 12 months.

Star Health, he said, had also come out with a `Diabetes Safe'
insurance policy.

It covered already known diabetics against risks arising out of
specified complications. The policy cover ranged from Rs. 50,000
to Rs. 4 lakhs, he added.

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

11. India now third on world's AIDS list.(New Delhi)
The Times of India,July 6, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_now_third_on_worlds_AIDS_list/articlesh\
ow/2183489.cms


New Delhi: India now third on world's AIDS list.


There's finally some good news on India's AIDS front. The country
has an estimated 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, about 2.7
million fewer cases than previously estimated.

The prevalence of HIV in the general population is now .36% against .9%
as earlier believed. This makes India the third worst affected country
with the deadly disease after South Africa (5.5 million) and Nigeria
(2.9 million).

Till now, India was placed in second place with an estimated 5.2 million
cases.

The latest figures, endorsed by experts from UNAIDS, CDC, WHO, ICMR,
the Union health ministry and NGOs like the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and the Clinton Foundation "as closest to the truth", were
reached after tabulating data from the National Family Health Survey-III
and the records available with NACO's 1,122 sentinel surveillance sites.

NFHS-III, conducted by 18 research institutes, for the first time
collected 1.5 lakh random blood samples from 29 states, which after
being tested, gave an insight into India's actual burden of HIV.

The earlier estimate of 5.2 million HIV infected among the age group
15-49 and UNAIDS's estimate of 5.7 million infected in all age groups
was based on anti-natal women who visited the 750 surveillance sentinel
sites.

Launching the ambitious Rs 11,585 crore National AIDS Control Programme III,
under which NACO hopes to halt and reverse the tide of HIV epidemic in
India by 2011, health minister A Ramadoss said, "When we believed India
had 5.2 million estimated HIV cases, we were accused of under-estimating
our figures.

But now, far more reliable data, based on an expanded surveillance system
and a revised methodology, has shown that India's actual HIV burden among
the adult population is between 2 million to 3.1 million."

He, however, warned that there was no room for complacency as India was
still home to over 30 lakh people living with HIV. "Accurate and larger
data will help us understand the epidemic better.

In terms of human life affected, the numbers are still large and
worrying. Over 104 districts still have HIV prevalence above 1% while
14 of these districts have HIV prevalence above 3%.

That's why under NACP III, we plan to control spread of HIV by increasing
the number of intervention strategies from 1,029 to 2,100 by 2012,"
Ramadoss added.

According to Dr Yves Souteyrand from WHO's HIV/AIDS department in Geneva
and UNAIDS's manager of epidemic and impact monitoring Peter D Ghys,
India's latest methodology using both community-based and sentinel survey
data to reach a figure is comparable to the procedure that other countries
have followed. "Now we have a fair and balanced comparison.

This methodology has been followed by 22 of the world's worst affected
countries," Souteyrand told TOI. Ghys added, "Earlier, HIV estimates for
India ranged between 3-9 million. With better and extensive data now
available, we have been able to reduce the range to 2-3.1 million which
is closest to the actual number of HIV/AIDS victims living in India."

Ashok Alexander, director of Avahan, the Gates Foundation's AIDS project
in India, said, "Even though the numbers have been halved, the threat is
exactly as big.

Several districts in Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan and UP have been found
to have high HIV prevalence between 1%-3%.

It's not that the cases have just cropped up but better surveillance is
now bringing out the true picture."

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

12. A Brief on HIV/AIDS in India.(Washington)
The World Bank Group, July 7, 2007.
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21396517~pagePK:3437\
0~piPK:34424~theSitePK:4607,00.html



Washington: HIV/AIDS in India and the World Bank.


The World Bank is helping India to curb the spread and mitigate the
impact of HIV and AIDS in the country.

The Government of India (GOI) has embarked on the ambitious goal of
halting and reversing the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2011, ahead of the 2015
target of the 6th Millennium Development Goal.


World Bank support in the past:


Following the identification of the first case of HIV in Chennai in 1986,
a small AIDS Cell was established in the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MOHFW), GOI.

In 1992, the GOI established the National AIDS Control Organization
(NACO) as an autonomous agency charged with the task of HIV prevention
and control activities.

Since that time, World Bank projects (NACP I for US$84 million,
and NACP II for US$191 million) have supported government efforts to
develop and enhance its response to the epidemic.

This sustained commitment has yielded many benefits. These include:

• Increased numbers of voluntary counseling and testing centers
• Amplified prevention programs in groups with high risk behavior through NGOs
• An augmented and more effective blood safety program
• More clinics to treat sexually transmitted diseases
• Services for preventing parent to child transmission
• Services for the care, support, and treatment for people already
living with HIV

These efforts have helped keep HIV prevalence below 1 percent among the
adult population in India despite fears to the contrary.


Challenges ahead:


Nevertheless, HIV and AIDS remains a serious threat. While the disease is
concentrated among high risk groups, increasing HIV prevalence among women,
and in the rural areas, points to a more generalized incidence in some states.

Six states - Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur,
and Nagaland - account for some 70 percent of India's HIV infections.


World Bank support going forward:


The World Bank's Third National HIV/AIDS Control Project (NACP III) for
US$250 million will support the Government of India's efforts to achieve its
goal of halting and reversing the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2011.

The World Bank's convening capabilities have been instrumental in
coordinating the support of development partners for the third phase o
India's National AIDS Control Program.

With over 99 percent of the population still uninfected, prevention is the
project's top priority. It aims to reach 80 percent of people at highest
risk over a five-year period.


The World Bank's support to the program focuses on:


• Preventing new infections among high risk groups and vulnerable populations
• Bringing care, support and treatment to larger numbers of people
living with HIV/AIDS
• Monitoring and surveillance of the epidemic
• Developing and strengthening skills within the National AIDS Control
Organization (NACO), the State AIDS Control Societies, and of NGOs and CBOs
associated with the program.


Lessons learned from past interventions:


• Targeted interventions for the poor and marginalized groups at high risk
of infection, within a broader population wide campaign, are the most
effective
way to reduce HIV transmission within the context of the Indian epidemic.

• Working with community-based organizations, especially peer-based groups,
is one of the most effective HIV prevention strategies.

• Convergence of HIV programs with other programs that deal with health
issues such as STDs, tuberculosis, and reproductive health is beneficial
for the effectiveness of all programs.

• Well performing states in India show that a combination of the following
factors can reduce HIV prevalence rates:

- Strong political commitment,
- Focus on high-impact interventions,
- Good management with continuity of trained staff,
- Strong surveillance and technical assistance,
- Adequate and flexible financial resources.

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

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