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

SOURCE: www.hinduonnet.com, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, www.naknews.co.in,
The Indian Express, www.ndtv.com, www.livemint.com and The Times of India.

Posted on: 29/08/2007

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. Small business enterprise project for HIV positive women launched.(India)
www.hinduonnet.com, August 22, 2007.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708211521.htm

2. Cipla sends legal notice to US NGO on AIDS drug issue.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 22, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=3e91e979-624f-4b5a-a0bd-394365ed4055

3. Study calls for efforts against human trafficking and HIV.(Chennai)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708222178.htm

4. Massive screening for HIV taken up.(Pondicherry)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/22/stories/2007082252000300.htm

5. West Bengal Scholar paddling his bicycle to spread HIV/AIDS
awareness.(Sri Nagar)
www.naknews.co.in, August 23, 2007.
http://naknews.co.in/newsdet.aspx?q=9403

6. Folk artistes will be performing in villages and towns, subtly
promoting awareness about AIDS/HIV.(Bangalore)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/24/stories/2007082450770300.htm

7. Punjab networking of positive people: A platform for HIV-positives.(Ludhiana)
The Indian Express, August 24, 2007.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=252471

8. Japanese PM's wife visits HIV-positive kids.(New Delhi)
www.ndtv.com, August 24, 2007.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070023506

9. HIV test not mandatory for govt job.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 25, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=fb1505bf-a8cc-4c96-9ac1-fc566de9c497

10. HIV positive baby on sale,but no takers.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 26, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=716ffc89-2f64-4980-88e5-a86e7bb1ee71

11. Abbott Labs' bid for anti-HIV drug patent to face stiff
challenge.(New Delhi)
www.livemint.com, August 26, 2007.
http://www.livemint.com/2007/08/27001549/Abbott-Labs8217-bid-for-ant.html

12. HIV+ and orphaned: Children no one wants.(New Delhi)
The Times of India, August 26, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_and_orphaned_Children_no_one_wants/\
articleshow/2313020.cms

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

1. Small business enterprise project for HIV positive women launched.(India)
www.hinduonnet.com, August 22, 2007.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708211521.htm



India: To help women living with HIV lead a life of dignity and
economic independence,
the UNDP Regional HIV and Development Programme and Thailand's Population and
Community Development Association (PDA) have launched a "Women and Wealth
(WWP)" in Cambodia, China and India, according to a press release from UNDP.

Under this project, groups of women living with HIV run small,
market-savvy social
enterprises, with technical and marketing support from PDA, UNDP, international
agencies, and the private sector.

PDA provided the HIV positive women with business management training to assist
them in developing business plans before establishing their specific
enterprises.

"Access to credit is a human right, as is the right for women living
with HIV to be
economically secure and independent.

The beauty of this project is the economic empowerment it provides for
the women,
individually and collectively, and using a new and fresh approach through the
strategy of business to provide them with business skills that they can use in
overcoming the barriers associated with living with HIV." said Mr.
Mechai Viravaidya,
Founder and Chairman of PDA. "As I have often said, to combat the issue of HIV
we all must think out of the box."

As part of WWP, the Cambodian Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS
(CCW) of the
Cambodian People Living with HIV/AIDS Network (CPN+) has set up a garment
manufacturing business called "Modern Dress Sewing Factory" (MDSF)
employing 30 HIV
positive women.

In India, the Positive Women Network (PWN+) has established a
conceptual design and
printing business called "Social Light Communications" (SLC) employing 2 HIV
positive women and 2 men.

In China, Colorful Clouds Yunnan, a female wing of AIDS Care China - a
network of
people living with HIV - has set up "Positive Candle Works," (PCW) a
100% beeswax
candle manufacturing factory employing 4 women.

Each business will be marketed under the common "WE" brand (Women
Empowered), with
the aim to gain market access for their products and services both locally and
internationally.

"This project is a demonstration that we can be economically
independent if given a
level playing field and a little support. We would request private
sector companies
to extend preferential trade offers with us," said Ms. Srim Phan of
MDSF. "Our main
appeal is to garment exporters and importers, and apparel industries," she adds.

"We are not looking for charity, but partnerships for empowerment. If
we can access
even a miniscule fraction of the market, it can make a big difference
to our lives,"
said Ms. P. Kousalya, Client Services Manager for SLC and President of PWN+.

"The process of learning news skills and working together with groups
of HIV positive
women in other countries is very powerful and empowering. WWP has
helped us regain
self-confidence and dignity, which were shattered after the diagnosis
of HIV infection,"
said Ms. Li of Colorful Clouds Yunnan.

Besides providing regular income and greater economic security for
women living with
HIV, this project is also focused on establishing a sustainable
socially focused business.

The WWP also aims to reduce stigma and discrimination, improving
self-esteem and
camaraderie among the women, and ensuring ARV adherence. For example,
in Cambodia,
all the employees of MDSF are on ARV and the new safe working
environment allows them
to support each other and take their ARV together.

When each business is generating sufficient revenue, the net profits
will be pooled into
initiating a micro-credit program specifically designed for people
living with HIV and
based on PDA's "Positive Partnership Project (PPP)."

The PPP was devised by PDA and has been highly successful in Thailand
in providing
economic opportunities for people living with and affected by HIV and
AIDS. It is
economic empowerment as a means to reducing stigma and discrimination.
The PPP has
been selected for the 2007 UNAIDS Best Practice publication series.

"In a rapidly feminizing epidemic, the socio-economic independence of
women is essential –
it enables women to cope with the devastating impact of the epidemic
on their family
life and sources of livelihood.

Smart skills and regular incomes can reduce situations of
HIV-vulnerability and helps
positive women live with dignity and security," said Ms. Caitlin
Wiesen, Regional
HIV/AIDS Team Leader and Programme Coordinator, UNDP RegionalHIV and
Development
Programme.

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

2. Cipla sends legal notice to US NGO on AIDS drug issue.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 22, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=3e91e979-624f-4b5a-a0bd-394365ed4055



India: Cipla sends legal notice to US NGO on AIDS drug issue.


Drug maker Cipla has sent a legal notice to US-based NGO AIDS
Healthcare Foundation that
had alleged the company was selling its HIV drug 'Viraday' at a higher
price in the
domestic market.

Cipla Joint Managing Director Aman Lulla confirmed the development but
did not give any
detail.

"Yes, we have sent a legal notice to AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
and our response to
AHF's allegations remains unchanged," Lulla said.

The NGO had earlier brought out advertisements in various newspapers alleging
overpricing of 'Viraday' by Cipla.

Taking cognizance over the advertisements, the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade
Practices Commission yesterday directed the Director General of
Investigation and
Registration (DGIR) to probe the issue and submit a report within 60 days.

The NGO had alleged that Cipla is exporting its HIV/AIDS drug Viraday
to African
countries at Rs 21,200 per patient a year, while the same for Indian
patients cost
over Rs 54,000.

"It is shocking that AIDS Healthcare Foundation is spending lakhs of rupees on
advertisements in various newspapers distorting facts and making
baseless allegations,"
Cipla had said in a statement on August 9.

While questioning the agenda of the NGO, Cipla had said while it has
not sold Viraday
in Africa, the company sold other anti-AIDS drugs to National AIDS
Control Organisation
in India at the same prices as in Africa.

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

3. Study calls for efforts against human trafficking and HIV.(Chennai)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200708222178.htm



Chennai: A new independent regional research study commissioned by the
United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) with financial support from the
Government of Japan has
revealed an alarming trend of trafficking of girls and women and HIV
infection in
South Asia, according to an UNDP press release.

South Asia accounts for more than half of the 300,000 to 450,000
people estimated
to be trafficked in Asia each year.

The study, which was launched here today, has found that a large
number of those at the
risk of being trafficked in South Asia are young girls and women and
they also run the
risk of getting infected with HIV.

The highest reported incidence of this double burden is in Nepal,
Bangladesh and
India, the study said. Factors such as gender inequality, violence and lack of
economic opportunities for women increase their risk to both
trafficking and HIV.
Younger girls are at higher risk of trafficking as well as HIV.

According to recent studies by Harvard School of Public Health; in
Mumbai one quarter
of the trafficked individuals tested positive for HIV while in Nepal,
it was close to
40 per cent.

The study in Nepal also showed that almost 60 per cent girls under the age
of 15 years trafficked into sex work were found to be HIV positive.

Weak governance makes the poor vulnerable to the risk of being
trafficked. The absence
of effective legislation and policies as well as poor law enforcement
and corruption
contribute to this.

Trafficking happens both within and across national borders. However,
national governments
and other stakeholders are yet to give this issue the priority it
deserves, mainly
because of the shortage of convincing data, the study said.

"Information is available with regard to brothel-based sex work, but
this reveals
nothing about those who practice sex work in other settings," the
study said, adding
"researchers need to look beyond sex work, since those who are
trafficked for other
purposes also find themselves in situations that increase their
vulnerability to HIV.

The clandestine nature of the phenomenon, criminal linkages and the
cross-border
spread mask the scale of the problem."

Titled "Human Trafficking and HIV: Exploring Vulnerabilities and
Responses in South Asia,"
the analysis in this report is based on rapid assessment studies
conducted in Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan between 2004 and 2005.

These studies explored the links between human trafficking, migration
and HIV/AIDS
in these countries and reviewed available data, the national laws,
policies, strategies
and responses.

To address human trafficking and HIV/AIDS the study recommends better
coordination in
national efforts to address both issues, which are often dealt
separately, by focusing
on factors such as gender inequalities and violence, social
marginalization, poverty,
and education.

Better conceptual clarity on the issues concerned; integrating trafficking
and HIV interventions into key sectors; and laws and policies to
address both HIV
and trafficking are other recommendations of the Study.

"One of the fundamental weaknesses in explaining and exploring the
linkages between
trafficking and HIV is lack of adequate data," said Ms. Caitlin
Wiesen, Regional
HIV/AIDS Team Leader and Programme Cooridnator for Asia Pacific, UNDP
Regional HIV
and Development Programme.

With Harvard School of Public Health, the Regional Programme is initiating a
three-country research study on the linkages between human trafficking and HIV
in Asia, she said.

The study was part of UNDP's 3-year regional project on human
trafficking and HIV
in South Asia supported by the government of Japan under the UN Trust Fund on
Human Security. "Human trafficking and HIV significantly threaten
human security.

The government of Japan is committed to assisting efforts to reduce
vulnerabilities
of girls and women to human trafficking and HIV infection in Asia,"
said Mr. Masayuki
Taga, Counsellor, the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka.

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

4. Massive screening for HIV taken up.(Pondicherry)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/22/stories/2007082252000300.htm



Pondicherry: About 75,000 people in the Union Territory will be tested for the
presence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes Acquired
Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS).

The massive screening, taken up by the Pondicherry AIDS Control
Society (PACS) under a
national programme to cover 10 million people to test for the deadly
virus, is being
undertaken for three months, in which blood samples of 75,000 people
will be collected
for testing, said Dilip Kumar Baliga, Director of Health and Family
Welfare, Government
of Puducherry, said here on Tuesday.

At the inaugural of the screening programme, Dr. Baliga said that
testing was voluntary
and the PACS, through its counselling staff, would explain to the
public the need for
an early screening. The programme mainly focussed on youth, he added.

Explaining to The Hindu on how the society planned to go about the
programme, Dr. Gilbert
Fernandez, PACS Project Director, said that, apart from its screening
centres at Odiansalai,
the JIPMER, in Karikklempakkam and Mannadipet com munity health
centres, private medical
colleges would be engaged in the programme.

The Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences at Kalapet and Sri
Manakula Vinayagar
Medical College at Madagadipet had agreed to open units for the
special screening.

Two other medical colleges were also being approached, he said.
Mobile unit

A mobile unit would visit various places for creating awareness and screening.

The unit would mainly focus on places where industrial units and
industrial estates were
located.

Many industries had agreed to participate in the screening programme, he noted.

The PACS had also approached the Police Department, the NCC and the
NSS volunteers.
The society planned to motivate in-patients at the Government and
private hospitals to
participate in the voluntary testing programme.

Trained staff would do the testing, and results kept confidential. The results
would be informed directly to the individual, the Project irector said.

Dr. Dilip Kumar said early detection of the virus could enhance
life-expectancy of the
infected person. The quality of life could also be improved.

The special invitee, actor-director R. Parthipan, said his next movie
would address the
issues involved with the HIV.

B. Sridevi, Chairperson Puducherry Municipality, and councillors India
Somani and
C Rajalakshmi also spoke. Students from various schools and colleges
took part in a
rally to propagate the three-month screening programme, which would
end on October 21.

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

5. West Bengal Scholar paddling his bicycle to spread HIV/AIDS
awareness.(Sri Nagar)
www.naknews.co.in, August 23, 2007.
http://naknews.co.in/newsdet.aspx?q=9403



Sri Nagar: Somen Debnath from Basanti Village (Sunderban) District South 24
Perganas West Bengal, India, reached here under his mission and via
Kargil, Leh, and
Kashmir to campaign against the dreaded disease HIV/AIDS.

Twenty four year-old PhD scholar while talking to News Agency of
Kashmir before leaving
for Chandigarh said that in Jammu and Kashmir I interacted with so
many people, I found
them simple and religious minded and are aware of the ill-effects of
illicit relations
and that is why there are less HIV infected patients in the state
compared to other
states.

"During his trip to Ladakh, Somen also trekked the highest motorable
road in the world
when he crossed 18,000 feet high Khardungla pass on bicycle.

Somen said he was moved by an AIDS related death in his neighbourhood
10 years ago and
decided to go round the globe for HIV/AIDS awareness programme.

"I kicked off my journey on a bicycle on May 27, 2004 from my native
village with just
Rs 600 in the pocket," he told NAK.

Somen claimed that after departing from his native village on 27 May,
2004 he has been
able to cover over 55,600 km, 27 states of India and neighboring
countries Nepal, Bhutan,
Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

I have personally conducted HIV/AIDS awareness programmes with 162
NGOs, at 3019
schools, 2254 collages, 33 university, 62 red-light areas, and
numerous roadside dhabas.
I have met over 67 Governors and Ministers during my tour so far.

When asked about the objective, the young Somen said "I am on a tour
of the 191 countries
achieved goal in 2020 of the world in my bicycle attempting to spread
awareness about
and help to prevent HIV/AIDS", adding "My focus is on covering the
uninitiated rural
land tribal populaces worldwide, who have the lowest level of
awareness about this
deadly disease",.

"I am also traveling to promote peace, humanity and the end of poverty
all of which
are essential to stopping HIV/AIDS". Somen told News Agency of Kashmir.

Sharing his view point about the methodology of spreading the message
of peace and AIDS
free society, Somen said "I concentrate on briefing my audience about
meditation, yoga
and pranayama breathing teachings, as the human mind and body can to a
great extent, be
controlled and helped to alleviate pain through there techniques",
adding "I educate
people from all parts of society, regardless of occupation or
religion, at schools,
colleges, universities".

He said I also provide education and condom and syringe distribution for sex
workers/prostitutes, truck drivers and drug addicts.

When asked what inspired him to take this mission, Somen said, my
original inspiration
was a newspaper article which I read at age 14 entitled "AIDS deadlier
than Cancer",
about a HIV positive man in "casteless" West Bengal who was ostracized
by his villagers
and left to die alone. This left a telling impression on me.

"I began inquiring from my school teachers about AIDS and was later
trained by the
West Bengal AIDS Prevention and control society. Continuing to spread
awareness and
knowledge about HIV/AIDS is the best way to prevent the virus in a
sense, prevention
through awareness is more important than cure.

Replying to a question whether he face any difficulty during his
mission, Somen said,
ULFA terrorists abducted me in North –East India because of the boots
I was wearing.

I was blindfolded, beaten, and taken to their camp.

However, when I met their commander, he greeted me with a copy of the
latest newspaper
article about my journey. I educated them about HIVAIDS and was
eventually fed and
released. Last I have faced 18 times with the terrorists include
Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
I have taken 30 programme with terrorists so for.

On 27th July 2007 I reached Leh (J&K) by crossing second highest pass
of the world pass

About Sponsorship Somen said till now I have no formal sponsors for my
journey. I do
get some help from the His Excellencies of almost every state. He said
during his
visit to Srinagar Raj Bhawan he was given five thousand (5000.00) by
the Governor of
Jammu and Kashmir.

"I am grateful to His Excellency for honoring me with a letter and
cash" Somen told
NAK adding but I was shocked when the vice Chancellor of Jammu
University wasted my
two days and did not allow me to share his view point regarding my mission
with the vice chancellor Amitab Matoo.

Aiming to complete his mission by 2020, Somen will tour 32 countries
by flight and 28
nations by ship and the bicycle will be all along with him.

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

6. Folk artistes will be performing in villages and towns, subtly
promoting awareness about AIDS/HIV.(Bangalore)
The Hindu, August 23, 2007.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/24/stories/2007082450770300.htm



Bangalore: Folk artistes will be performing in villages and towns,
subtly promoting
awareness about AIDS/HIV.

The Song and Drama Division (SDD) of the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting is
holding workshops for folk troupes to train them to include
understated messages about
the disease in order to prevent its further spread.

Street play actors, for example, will bring up the issue of AIDS in
their performances
by skilfully weaving it into the storyline instead of an in-your-face manner.

Yakshagana, puppetry and Srikrishna Parijatha troupes in Karnataka and
katha prasangam,
kalaripayattu, and vilpaattu troupes in Kerala are being used to
achieve the goal,
according to SSD's Regional Centre Manager Jitendra Panpatil.

The country has 12.5 lakh people with AIDS as on August 31, 2006,
according to the National
AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) attached to the Union Ministry of
Health and Family
Welfare.

SSD sources said that the troupes would perform in districts
identified as worst-hit
by NACO.

In Karnataka, for example, it has identified 25 of the 27 districts
and two in Kerala.
Six other districts in Kerala are in the second category.

The regional centre of the SDD here held a two-day interface between
artistes and
experts from Tuesday.

As many as 92 artistes belonging to 14 folk art forms from different districts
participated. They attempted to make their performances effective in
order to inspire
people to take precaution to prevent the spread of AIDS.
Presentation style

A team from the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society including
Additional Project
Director of B.S. Premaleela, Joint Director S.G. Ravindra and Deputy
Director G.B. Meti
helped them achieve accuracy of the messages included in performances.
SDD Deputy
Director H.V. Krishnamurthy guided them on maintaining the format —
unique style of
presentation of different folk arts.

The city-based Yakshadegula that specialises in Yakshagana and
Lalitakala Ranga of
Mariyammanahalli in Bellary district that specialises in street plays
are among the
troupes participating. Barring Shimoga and Chickmagalur, all the
districts have been
identified by the centre as "A-grade" districts as regards the spread
of AIDS/HIV infection,
according to SDD sources.

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

7. Punjab networking of positive people: A platform for HIV-positives.(Ludhiana)
The Indian Express, August 24, 2007.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=252471



Ludhiana: The HIV epidemic is about fathers and mothers, children, sisters and
brothers, loved ones, friends and neighbours. It affects people we
know, people we love
and care for, as well as people that we may have never met, but who
inspire us to live
healthy lives.

To counter the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with
the HIV positive
virus, and to acknowledge and bring forward the urgency and
seriousness of the problem,
a group of HIV positive people in Punjab have started their own
'Punjab networking of
positive people', a non-government organisation.

The NGO is organised and managed by people living with HIV/AIDS in
Punjab. It aims at
representing the needs of people and improving the quality of life for
people living
with HIV/AIDS in Punjab.

Talking to Newsline, Jagjit Singh Maan, General Secretary (the only
negative office bearer),
said, "There are about 35 members from Phagwara, Mandi Ahmedgarh,
Nabha, Basti Jodhewal
in Ludhiana, etc, and all these members are HIV positive. A majority
of these, however,
are widows or migrant people from UP and Bihar."

The members of the organization feel that the spread of this deadly
disease can be stopped
by an active involvement by the government and general public.

Mehar Singh, president of the organization, said, "I am also HIV
positive and contracted
the virus from my second wife. I remarried after my first wife died.
My second wife also
died of an AIDS related illness one and a half years back.

But I am in the first stage as of now. We are trying to pressure the
National AIDS
Control Organization (NACO) for free treatment of second stage
positive patients, as it
is very costly and out of a common man's budget. Maybe after 10-15
years I'll also be
in that stage."

Maan said that NGO aims at making people aware of the AIDS epidemic
and also helps patients
in the first stage to have Anti Retro Viral (ARV) therapy done at PGI
Chandigarh, Civil
Hospital Jalandhar and Amritsar.

"A few weeks ago we also appealed people through Human Rights network
to not seek any
medicinal help or advice from quacks. We appealed to them to seek
advice of competent
doctors," Mann said.

Mehar Singh mentioned that the group will organize awareness camps in villages.

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

8. Japanese PM's wife visits HIV-positive kids.(New Delhi)
www.ndtv.com, August 24, 2007.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070023506



New Delhi: A group of HIV-positive children in a hospital had a
special visitor on
Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife Akie.

Akie spent some tender moments with them, hugging them and enquiring
about their health.

After five-month-old Suresh got a warm hug from Akie, he refused to go
back to his mother
when she called him.

The former FM radio disk jockey spent time with the children being
treated at Kalawati
Saran Hospital, picking them up and playing with them.

Akie also visited the hospital's ICU and interacted with staff and
doctors there.
The hospital specialises in treating HIV-positive children.

The Japanese government has helped build the hospital's emergency ICU
and contributed
ambulances and other services to it.

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

9. HIV test not mandatory for government job.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 25, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=fb1505bf-a8cc-4c96-9ac1-fc566de9c497



India: There is no need for a mandatory HIV test to get a government
job, the Centre
has told the Supreme Court.

The Centre on Thursday spelt out its stand in an affidavit filed in
response to a
petition by the Andhra Pradesh government. The state has challenged an
Andhra Pradesh
High Court verdict declaring a provision in the Andhra Pradesh Revised
Police Manual
requiring a mandatory HIV test as illegal.

The Centre has said such a practice amounts to discrimination and will
encourage a
tendency among people to conceal the disease, thereby making it
difficult to check
its spread.

Advocate Anand Grover, who represents the affected HIV-positive
candidate in the case,
said: "The government's stand is correct and supports our contention
on the basis of
which the high court gave its judgment."

The high court had in December 2005 struck down order 70(3) of the
police manual
declaring it unconstitutional and upheld the contention of the
HIV-positive candidate
who was rejected on the grounds that he was suffering from the
disease. He had, otherwise,
cleared all the tests for the post of sub-inspector.

The high court had held that HIV-positive persons could not be
condemned to "economic
death" by denial of equal opportunity in employment. "Not all people
living with HIV are
unsuitable for employment," it had observed.

The state government had justified its stand, saying that persons with
HIV become weak
and are unable to effectively perform the rigorous duties required of
a police officer.

The candidate was a constable when he applied for the sub-inspector's
post. However,
since an HIV test was not prescribed at the time he was selected for
the constable's
post, it wasn't known whether he was HIV-positive at that time.

The state had contended that mere selection did not confer right for
appointment and
since the rules prohibited the appointment of HIV-positive persons,
the candidate had
been rejected.

It had also contended that the guidelines issued by the Ministry of
Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India, relating to HIV infected persons, were
general and not
applicable to appointments in the police department.

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

10. HIV positive baby on sale,but no takers.(India)
The Hindustan Times, August 26, 2007.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Redir.aspx?ID=716ffc89-2f64-4980-88e5-a86e7bb1ee71



India: HIV positive baby on sale - but no takers.


This is the story of an HIV positive woman in Chhattisgarh who has
been driven by
poverty to offer her newborn daughter for sale - and the little baby
whom no one wants
because she too is infected with the virus.

Goldy, in her 30s, has been visiting public places in Kondagaon in
Bastar district,
about 220 km from Raipur, to sell off her baby girl ever since she was
discharged from
the government hospital there Aug 15 after delivery.

The local administration, which woke up to the issue this week, has
stopped her from
offering the baby for sale and arrangements are being made for her treatment.

"She was holding a week-old baby in her arms and asking people to buy
the child so that
she could get money for food," RP Pandey, chief medical officer of
Bastar district,
told IANS on telephone.

"Some people who showed initial interest in adopting the baby refused
to do so after a
test conducted in the government hospital confirmed that both the
mother and the child
are HIV positive," Pandey said.

"We do not have much details of her family background. She is refusing
to give details.
But it's a very touching and emotional case; we do not know how to
help her," Pandey
added.

Bastar's district collector Ganesh Shankar Mishra told IANS over
telephone: "I have come
to know about the matter... The administration will fully cooperate
and will not allow
her to sell the kid. I am arranging for advanced treatment of both the
mother and the
kid at the government hospital in Raipur.

"I have talked to the chief medical officer in Raipur to admit the
mother and the baby
and take care of all their medical needs."

Despite various measures taken by the government, AIDS continues to
spread in the country.

A UNAIDS report claimed in 2006 that India had the largest number of
people living with
HIV/AIDS, an estimated 5.7 million infections. India's National AIDS
Control Organisation
(NACO), however, put the figure at between 2.5 million and 3.1 million
earlier this month.

People suffering from the disease still face isolation from society.
Goldy's miserable
condition is a consequence of the ignorance of people about the disease.

Earlier this month, a baby in New Delhi was abandoned twice before she
was rescued by an
NGO due to the belief that she was HIV positive.

Dumped by her mother in an auto-rickshaw soon after she was born, she
moved from the hands
of a poor childless couple to the house of a medical representative
before reaching the
NGO.

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

11. Abbott Labs' bid for anti-HIV drug patent to face stiff
challenge.(New Delhi)
www.livemint.com, August 26, 2007.
http://www.livemint.com/2007/08/27001549/Abbott-Labs8217-bid-for-ant.html



New Delhi: Less than a week after an Indian patent filing made by
Abbott Laboratories
Inc. for Aluvia, a heat stable version of its $1.14 billion (Rs4,696.8
crore) anti-HIV
drug, was challenged by a US non-profit health group, it is becoming
clear that the
Illinois, US-based drug maker will face several more 'pre-grant
oppositions' here.

Indian patient groups say they are also contemplating following the
example set by Initiative
for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), which announced its filing
in the Mumbai Patent
Office, on Thursday. Meanwhile, Indian generic drug maker Cipla Ltd
claims it, too, might
fight the Abbott patent filing.

Sold under the brand name Aluvia by Abbott, the drug is a combination
of lopinavir and
ritonavir drugs in a tablet form and remains chemically stable and
doesn't need refrigeration
in countries such as India.

Unlike its original version Kaletra, which has the same drug
combination but is in the
form of soft gel capsules, Aluvia also does not come with any patient
dietary restrictions
and also lowers the number of pills a patient is prescribed a day.

Roughly 93,000 AIDS patients in India are on antiretroviral therapy
and a tenth of them
are estimated to require drugs similar to Aluvia.

Public health groups say that there isn't enough fresh ground broken
by Abbott to be
eligible for patent protection."Both the ingredient drugs, lopinavir
and ritonavir, are
pre-995 drugs and, hence, not patentable.

The combination, which is heat stable, doesn't deserve a patent by
itself," said
drug access campaigner Leena Menghaney of Medecins Sans Frontieres or
Doctors Without
Borders' Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines. Drugs that
pre-date India's Patents
Acts 2005 by more than 10 years are not eligible for the so-called
product patents.

The opposition by I-MAK centers on a controversial provision, Section
3(D), of the Indian
patent law that bars patents on derivatives of an older drug without
substantial rise in
efficacy.

The compliance of this provision with global trade laws was
unsuccessfully challenged by
Swiss drug maker Novartis AG this year and turned down by the Madras
high court earlier
this month. An adverse verdict for Novartis has emboldened public
health activists to fight
what they see as other 'frivolous' patents.

"Abbott's application on the lopinavir/ritonavir tablet is not
inventive and, if granted,
would prevent others from supplying low-cost versions of the drug,"
said Tahir Amin,
I-MAK director, in a statement. "It is an egregious example of how the
public is harmed
by improper extension of patent life by Abbott." I-MAK has opposed the
patent in both
European and Indian patent offices.

An Abbott spokesperson did not respond immediately to request for comment.
At least two Indian activist groups confirmed that they were
finalizing their pre-grant
oppositions to the Abbott drug, but declined to be named or give
details until the filing
with the Indian patent office was done.

Cipla, which currently sells a generic version of the
lopinavir-ritonavir drug, too,
might file a pre-grant opposition, said its chief executive Amar Lulla.

Abbott's Kaletra has been under attack in Thailand as well with the
government there
breaking its patent and sourcing the drug from other generic
pharmaceutical firms.

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

12. HIV+ and orphaned: Children no one wants.(New Delhi)
The Times of India, August 26, 2007.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_and_orphaned_Children_no_one_wants/\
articleshow/2313020.cms



New Delhi: It's a ray of hope in an area of gloom. Recently, a
15-day-old baby, Chhoti,
was found abandoned. Though rumoured to be HIV positive, many couples
on hearing about
her through the media, volunteered to adopt her.

However, not many are as lucky as her. Most people don't come forward
to adopt HIV positive
children. Recently, an HIV positive woman in Chhattisgarh, driven by
poverty, offered her
newborn daughter for sale. But no one wanted the baby as she too was infected.

Later, the local administration, which got to know about the issue,
stopped her from
selling the baby and made arrangements for her treatment.

Says Sonia Kohli, who runs Sahyog, an NGO, and in whose custody Chhoti
was, "Since the
news was out in the media, people initially came forward to adopt
Chhoti. When the hype
died, people backed off.

Even some doctors advised me against keeping the child. I have now
given the child to a
family, but I am sure that if Chhoti was HIV positive, nobody would
have legally adopted
her."

Arun Dave, president, AIDS prevention club, Rajkot, corroborates,
"Ever since we started
working for the cause of AIDS, 18 years back, not even one family has
volunteered to
adopt an HIV positive child."

In many cases, even when the child turns out to be negative later,
people are scared to
adopt. HIV positive children turn negative only until they are
one-and-a-half years old.

After that, it's believed their status doesn't change. But medical
miracles do happen.
Anyhow, adoption agencies have a definite role to play here — in
convincing the families
and educating them about the issue.

"If we have a child who is HIV positive-turned-negative, we tell the
family about the
child. After counselling and making them understand the medical
aspects, if they are
still willing, they accept the child. However, this happens only once
in a blue moon,"
says Madhavi Hegde Karandikar, adoption practitioner, Bal Asha, Mumbai.

Such children are mostly adopted, either by rich parents and those
settled abroad or
foreigners. "Adopting an HIV positive child requires a lot of willpower.

Moreover, social acceptance of such children is less in our country.
Outside India,
people are more educated about HIV," says Nilima Mehta, chairperson,
Child Welfare
Committee, Mumbai.

"There is a social stigma attached to it. Even today, there is not
much awareness about
HIV. Not many even know the difference between HIV positive and AIDS.
They are ignorant
about how HIV is passed and so don't want their families and friends
to know that the
child was born with the virus," says Dave.

Outside India, there are many organisations which have been successful
in placing HIV
positive children in permanent and foster homes. One such project is
Children With AIDS
Project of America, which seeks out adoptive parents for HIV infants
and children.

Its database has over 1,000 waiting families.

Experts say there are no legal restrictions for adoption of HIV
positive children. "We
can give such children in adoption, provided there are families
willing to take them and
all documents are in place," says Wendy Andrews, adoption officer,
Hope Foundation, New Delhi.

Despite various measures taken by the government, people suffering
from the disease
still face stigma and isolation. A UNAIDS report claimed in 2006 that
India had the
largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 5.7 million.

"Adopting a child involves knowledge within oneself that all children
are equal, be
they healthy or with special needs and therefore equally deserve
security within a family.
One should be better informed about the subject and make a choice knowing and
understanding all these aspects," says Aloma Lobo, chairperson, IYC
Community Centre,
Bangalore.

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

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