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SAATHII Electronic Newsletter
HIV NEWS FROM INDIA
Source: The Times of India, Kangla Online, Newstrack India,
The Telegraph India, Mangalorean.com and The Statesman.
Posted on: 18/08/2008
COMPILED BY: J. Boopalan, 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
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1. Now, insurance cover for HIV+ in Karnataka
The Times of India, August 14, 2008.
2. Team formed to coordinate HIV/AIDS programs in police force
Kangla Online, August 14, 2008.
3. Some positive moves for HIV+
Newstrack India, August 14, 2008.
4. NACO to scale up use of female condoms
The Times of India, August 16, 2008.
5. HIV vaccine touches a 'milestone'
The Telegraph India, August 16, 2008.
6. Mangalore: Oscar launches project Sankalp in DK to combat HIV/AIDS
Mangalorean.com, August 17, 2008.
7. New strain of HIV detected in Manipur but alarm bells don't ring yet
The Statesman, August 16, 2008.
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1. Now, insurance cover for HIV+ in Karnataka
The Times of India, August 14, 2008.
The number of people living with HIV in India runs into the millions.
Yet, insurance companies have largely ignored them, till now.
On Wednesday, a group health insurance plan was launched for 250
HIV-affected people, the first of its kind. The scheme is supported
by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
under Project Connect, a programme designed to build public-private
partnership to combat HIV and tuberculosis in India.
Population Services International (PSI), an NGO, in partnership
with Star Health and Allied Insurance Company and the Karnataka
Network for Positive People (KNP+) launched the scheme.
The policy, not available to individuals, will be given to a group
of about 300. In Karnataka, the policy has been given to 250
applicants from six districts — Bellary, Mangalore, Mandya, Udupi,
Kolar and Mysore.
K Sujatha Rao, director general, National AIDS Control Organization
(NACO), said they were also trying to work on a policy that would
explore the possibility of getting applicants to start saving for
medical treatment.
There will be 175 link centres in the state, she said. NACO has
a budget of Rs 11,000 crore this year, Rs 150 crore of it being
spent on information and communication.
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2. Team formed to coordinate HIV/AIDS programs in police force
Kangla Online, August 14, 2008.
The Manipur government has constituted a five-member officers
team of the state for coordination and review of implementation
of programmes in connection with HIV/AIDS prevention initiative
by the police force.
The officers of the team include Anand Prakash, IPS, IGP(AP),
Lunsieh Kipgen, IPS, superintendent, Mainpur Central Jail,
N Noren Singh, director fire service, RK Tutusana, joint secretary,
home, Dr. Kh Pramod Kumar, project director (T), Manipur AIDS
Control Society, MACS, Imphal.
IPS Anand Prakash has also been designated as nodal officer at
the state level, an order of the state government said stating
that the nodal officer would interact with the project director
(T), MACS for conduct of HIV/AIDS related programmes at the police,
jail and fire service departments.
According to the Manipur State AIDS Control Society report, HIV
broke out first among drug users in Manipur in 1990, but the state
government did not come up with a policy on AIDS until 1996.
HIV/AIDS infection is no longer confined to a particular group
of people but has taken roots in Manipur, spreading to the general
population, MACS observed.
The history of HIV/AIDS in Manipur is vastly different from the
rest of the country as almost 72 percent of the infections are
believed to have spread through the IDU route. Manipur's population
is only 0.23 per cent of India's, but it contributes over 8 percent
of the HIV-infected population.
But the pattern of infection is different in the state. While the
sexual transmission route for the virus is as high as 86 percent
in other regions of India, in Manipur about 72 percent of HIV
infections are caused by rsharing of needles and syringes by drug
addicts.
Currently, about 20 NGOs in Manipur are funded by MACS to exchange
new injecting equipment for old among drug users so that they do
not share needles. The project director recalled how in 1990,
after the first HIV-positive cases were found among six IDUs in
Manipur, the entire society - including women activists, police
and insurgents — swung into action to get rid of the IDUs.
To fight with HIV/AIDS in Manipur, a historic step was taken
towards positive action with the constitution of the Parliamentary
Forum on HIV/AIDS which was followed by "Imphal Declaration of
Manipur Legislators - 30th June, 2007" at a one-day conference
on HIV/AIDS held at the Assembly hall on June 30 last year.
The move of the state government drew wide appreciation from the
public as well as NGOs working in the field.
================================================================
3. Some positive moves for HIV+
Newstrack India, August 14, 2008.
Initiating a remarkable step for HIV positive and AIDS patients,
two south Indian states have separately moved up with unique steps
that can proved to be a lesson for others.
Kerala, which is always known for certain and solid changes in
the society, has planned to grant government jobs for HIV+ patients
to truly enlighten their life and to give equal opportunity to
prove themselves before the society.
It has reserved a government job for HIV-positive people
Karnataka, another progressive state of India has decided to grant
economical and social security to HIV+ victims. For this, Population
Services International (PSI), an NGO, in collaboration with Star
Health and Allied Insurance Company and the Karnataka Network for
Positive People (KNP+), has launched a group health insurance
scheme for 300 people of the state. This scheme is supported by
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Setting a trend to grant equal position to HIV+ positive patients
in the society, Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS) has
decided to reserve a post in its office for HIV+ victims. At
present, KSACS has invited application for the post of 'Coordinator'
who has working experience of three years of HIV related field
could apply for this post.
The applicants must be a HIV+ patient and holding any graduate
degree. The salary for this contract based job would be ranged
Rs.15,000 to 20,000 depending the qualification and experience
of the candidate and must not be a part of any network, as per
the advertisement published in all leading newspapers in the
state.
The last date of the submitting the application is August 16 and
the liability of the job is to establish a network of HIV positive
people in all the 14 districts of the state.
In another major commencement, Karnataka based KNP+ along with
PSI and Star Health and Allied Insurance Company has launched
a group insurance scheme for HIV+ patients. At present, as much
as 250 applicants from six districts- Bellary, Mangalore, Mandya,
Udupi, Kolar and Mysore - have been insured under this first-ever
launched health insurance.
The premium of this insurance is Rs. 1,500, which is half shared
by the NGOs. In this cashless health policy, the insured may go
for 300 hospitals for getting treatment.
The sum assured amount for each patients would be Rs.30,000 per
insured person that is bifurcated of Rs. 15,000 each for treating
the patients and if the patient dies, the remaining amount will
be delivered to kin of the patient.
These two major initiatives will definitely spread the message
in the society that we are getting mature and HIV AIDS is no
longer considered as a stigma, said a social activist.
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has appreciated these
moves and announced to expand those in other states.
================================================================
4. NACO to scale up use of female condoms
The Times of India, August 16, 2008.
India is all set to scale up and popularize the use of female
condoms, the only existing prevention method against HIV for women.
At a time when the world's best known female activists are calling
the global failure to popularize female condoms a "15-year scandal
born of ignorance and inertia", India has been a rare instance
where acceptability for the female condoms has been as high as 97%.
The National AIDS Control Organisation is, therefore, seriously
considering a proposal to make these condoms available across
the country for just Rs 3. Union health minister A Ramadoss said
at the International AIDS Conference here that over 87% of the
HIV infections in India are caused by unprotected sex.
"Around 38% of all new infections are occurring among women. The
pilot phase where we distributed 5 lakh female condoms proved to
be a huge success. We now plan to intensify our campaign for female
condoms. In 2001, we had 900,000 general condom outlets. By 2010,
we will have 3 million," Ramadoss said.
NACO DG K Sujatha Rao told TOI : "Female condoms have proved
effective especially for home-based sex work but not so much for
street-based prostitution. We are working on a proposal to make
available female condoms at just Rs 3. We are buying it for
around Rs 23."
"Till very recently, we were buying the condoms for Rs 40 and
making it available to women for Rs 5," Rao added.
Under the pilot project, NACO procured five lakh female condoms
from UK's Female Health Company (FHC), which were doled out to
sex workers and housewives in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu and West Bengal. A year-long pre-programme acceptability and
feasibility study, involving 60,000 women in 13 sites — 11 involving
high risk groups like sex workers and two family planning
programmes — in eight states from November 2006, found 60% women
re-purchasing the condom and over 98% of the users finding it
comfortable.
India till now only imported female condoms. Hindustan Latex has
now set up a female condom manufacturing unit in Kochi. The unit
will manufacture 10 million female condoms annually. It has been
15 years since the female condom was first unveiled. But even now,
several countries have failed to popularize its use. According
to data released by Oxfam here, in 2007, fewer than 28 million
female condoms were distributed worldwide.
n comparison, there were about 11 billion male condoms sold
worldwide the same year, a ratio of 3:1000. Oxfam's Farah Karimi
said: "There has been a failure on the part of governments to
scale up their female condom programme. It is still a low priority
intervention."
She added: "Investment in R&D is currently focused on vaccines
and microbicides. But the earliest women may be able to use
a vaccine or a microbicide is 2014 and women can't wait. In the
long run, the best way to stop people from dying of AIDS is to
reduce new infections in the first place. At present, the market
share of female condoms is 0.24% of the total condom market."
================================================================
5. HIV vaccine touches a 'milestone'
The Telegraph India, August 16, 2008.
India's second candidate HIV vaccine tested in Chennai has triggered
an immune response in every volunteer who received a high dose,
but strengths and duration of the response need to be improved,
scientists said today.
After three injections, 82 per cent of the volunteers who received
a low dose and 100 per cent of those who received a high dose
showed an immune response, according to scientists at the
Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai, who conducted the
trial.
The results of the phase I (safety) trial show that the vaccine
has acceptable levels of safety and was well tolerated by the
volunteers. The two-year trial had involved 32 healthy men and
women between the ages of 18 and 50.
But this vaccine will not be pitched for phase II (efficacy) trials
on its own because both the strength and the duration of the
immune response can be improved, said Vadakkuppattu Ramanathan,
head of clinical pathology at the TRC.
Scientists say the 100 per cent immune response with the high dose
is encouraging, but whether this response translates into protection
from HIV can only be determined through an efficacy trial.
The vaccine, TBC-M4, was designed by a US biotechnology firm in
collaboration with Sekhar Chakrabarty, a leading Indian virologist,
at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Calcutta.
The vaccine, based on a virus known as Modified Vaccinia Ankara
(MVA), is specifically designed to work against HIV subtype-C,
the predominant strain of HIV circulating in India.
"This is a milestone. Everybody who had received the vaccine
showed a response, which is unusual. But we'd like to optimise
and get the best possible response," Patricia Fast, medical
director with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
in New York, told The Telegraph.
Ramanathan said one strategy to bolster the strength and expand
the duration of the immune response would be to add a new vaccine
to the MVA-based vaccine as an adjunct. "We have picked a DNA
vaccine from the US as a new vaccine," he said.
This DNA vaccine is awaiting approval from Indian health authorities.
The addition of a new candidate vaccine to the MVA-based vaccine
will be equivalent to testing a novel candidate — which would
mean going back to Phase I (safety) tests, he said.
The MVA was the second HIV candidate vaccine to be tested in India.
Earlier, the National Institute of Virology, Pune, had tested
another US-made vaccine, which had not yielded an encouraging
immune response. Less than 30 per cent of the volunteers who had
received the vaccine displayed a response. The results had prompted
the Indian government to abandon further research with the candidate
tested in Pune.
The IAVI has said that it has launched work to modify the MVA-based
vaccine candidate so that it is ready for large-scale manufacturing
should the trial results suggest further testing is warranted.
================================================================
6. Mangalore: Oscar launches project Sankalp in DK to combat HIV/AIDS
Mangalorean.com, August 17, 2008.
Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes
has appealed to the employers of factories and industrial
establishments in Dakshina Kannada district to take steps to educate
their employees on healthy practices and thereby keep away from
HIV infection and AIDS disease.
Speaking after inaugurating the "Project Sankalp" here on Sunday,
Mr. Fernandes said this is a pilot project, launched by Employees'
State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in collaboration with Hindustan
Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, to prevent fresh HIV
positive cases among members of the ESIC in the State through
awareness camps.
Stating that facilities at the ESI hospitals would be used to achieve
the objectives of the project, the Union Minister said the financial
capital of India - Mumbai - has become the gateway for "welcoming?
the HIV and AIDS. Several people from the district have migrated
to Mumbai seeking jobs and therefore two cities have a special
connection. Many people who infected with dreaded HIV/AIDS spread
to others in the district while they return to native places,
he said.
The project was also aimed at taking the reproductive and child
health (RCH) services to the doorsteps of insured employees and
their family members, he said.
Minister for Labour B.N. Bache Gowda spoke about the steps to be
taken to prevent the spread of HIV among workers. He called upon
the Centre to grant more funds to the State for implementing
various health programs under ESIC schemes.
The Deputy Director, Directorate of E.S.I.S. Medical Services,
Karnataka, Gangadhara Swamy said the ESI hospital of Mangalore
would get a mobile unit to visit factories and other places where
many ESI beneficiaries reside. The unit would have a male and a
female counselor and a lab technician. The counselors would give
suggestions to workers on how to protect themselves from getting
affected by HIV/AIDS and other diseases, he said.
Mangalore City MLAs Yogish Bhat (BJP), U. T. Khader (Congress)
and Moodabidri MLA Abhayachandra Jain (Congress) participated in
the event.
================================================================
7. New strain of HIV detected in Manipur but alarm bells don't ring yet
The Statesman, August 16, 2008.
The National AIDS research Institute (Nari) has detected a new
HIV hybrid strain in blood samples taken from HIV-positive residents
of Manipur but authorities don't seem to have sat up.
The blood samples have tested positive for the HIV-1 B/C recombinant
strain – a combination of of B and C strain of the virus. The strain,
which resembles that prevalent in Thailand, is believed to have
been acquired through cross-border sex tourism at Moreh-Tamu
junction on the Indo-Myanmar border and fingers are being pointed
at traders who frequent Thailand.
Experts are viewing the identification of a new strain very
seriously as known methods of combating the HIV virus may now
have to undergo a sea change..
Dr Priyo, in charge of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) at JN
Hospital in Manipur told The Statesman: "A new strain is always
worrisome.
Apart from HIV 1, HIV-2 strain is also found in patients here.
The HIV-2 strain does not respond to Nevirapine therapy."
The news of a new recombinant strain surprised him. "This is
serious," Dr Priyo said. He was surprised that neither the National
AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) ~ the nodal organisation for
formulation of policy and implementation of programs for prevention
and control of HIV/AIDS in India, nor the Manipur AIDS Control
Society (Macs), had contacted him.
At Macs, officials said on the condition of anonymity that so far,
NACO had not asked it to start surveillance of the new strain.
Neither Macs, nor the microbiology department at the Regional
Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) seem to know which blood
samples yielded the new strains.
Nari scientists have urged surveillance to check the spread of
the new strain. They also want to find out how much more effective
the new strain is in spreading HIV from one individual to another.
"There is a need to study how well the new recombitant strain
responds to treatment of HIV," a Nari scientist said. For thousands
living with the disease the news has come as a shock.
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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in the above articles
are those of the respective newspapers, not those of
SAATHII.
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