Public ignorance is fueling the
spread of AIDS in India.
India is at a crossroads
in its efforts to control HIV/AIDS. Although adult HIV prevalence
is still relatively low, infection is spreading rapidly;
the number of HIV-infected
people has increased tenfold in the past decade.
A massive awareness program needs to be undertaken
to combat the AIDS epidemic in India. There are simply too
many people who do not know what HIV/AIDS is, its deadly
consequences, and how to prevent its spread.
- A national survey shows that
only 35% of people in rural areas have heard of HIV/AIDS
- Women are more vulnerable to
infection due to their higher illiteracy rate, and since
they are less in control of their sexual lives
- The HIV virus is no longer restricted to high-risk
groups; it is spreading to rural areas and the wider
population
- There are 3.86 million people
living with HIV in India and most of them do not know
they are infected
- The extent of the epidemic
will put even more strain on health services in the
future
According to the U.S.
National Intelligence Council, if prevention efforts are
not dramatically scaled up, the number of Indians living
with HIV could jump from 4 million today to 25 million by
2010.
to help fight the spread of AIDS in India.
HIV in India - A
Fast Spreading Epidemic
1986
First case of HIV detected in Chennai
1990 HIV levels
among High Risk Groups like Sex workers and STD clinic attendants
in Maharashtra and amongst Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in
Manipur reaches over 5%.
1994 HIV no
longer restricted to high risk groups in Maharashtra, but
spreading into the general population. HIV also spreading
to the states of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu where high-risk
groups have over 5% HIV prevalence.
1998 Rapid
HIV spread in the four large southern states, not only in
high risk groups, but also in the general population where
it has reached over 1%. Infection rate among antenatal women
reaches 3.3 in Namakkal in Tamil Nadu and 5.3 in Churachandpur
in Manipur. Among IDUs in Churachandpur it crosses 76 percent
and in Mumbai, 64.4%.
1999 The infection
rate in antenatal women in Namakkal rises to 6.5. About
60% of the sex workers in some Mumbai sites are infected.
Infection rates among STD patients reaches 30% in Andhra
Pradesh and 14-60% in Maharashtra. About 64.4% IDUs at one
of the sites in Mumbai and 68.4% in Churachandpur are infected.
2001 Infection
crosses 1% in six states. These states account for 75% of
the country's estimated HIV cases. The Prime Minister addresses
the Chief Ministers of high prevalence states and urges
them to intensify prevention activities.
2002 In year
2003 there has been an increase of about 6 lakh infections
(4.58 million). This increase has been noticed primarily
in states of Karnataka, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu,
Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Sources:
