[nukkad] FACTS ABOUT AIDS IN INDIA

[Azim <>]

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Hi, Below is the interview of Dr I S Gilada chief of Public Health Organisation, Long before AIDS activism became fashionable in India, the Public Health Organisation -- born the Indian Health Organisation -- worked to highlight the condition of thousands of HIV-affected Indians. 
It shows some facts about Aids in India. A few of them are encouraging, But many make me think even if someday we do become a Superpower Are we going to become a superpower in Aids?

I am putting a few Questions below which are important i have picked them from the article but i would request people to Do visit the site and read the complete article and know some hard facts about Aids in India.

Bye,
Azim.b

http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/dec/01inter.htm

How did the government react to AIDS in the beginning? 

The government moved very slowly. Only once did they campaign very fast but the campaign was withdrawn equally fast. On International Aids Day they put up big advertisements in the national dailies with photographs of ministers. What is the point of putting ads in The Times of India? Times of India readers already know about AIDS. They should put these messages in regional, language newspapers and also think of people who do not read any paper. 

What do you think was the biggest step the government took to fight AIDS? 

The biggest step was when the prime minister had a special meeting with MPs to discuss AIDS. The sad thing is only a dozen MPs turned up. 

Do you think the government is spending enough money on fighting AIDS? 

The government has not spent any money. They spend only what comes from the World Bank. Sometimes the money lies unused. Sometimes it is abused, and sometimes misused.

Why doesn’t the government make sex education compulsory? 

NCERT had brought in a model where sex education was a part of the curriculum. In 1997 when Arjun Singh was human resources minister he said our youth do not need sex education. He said it will spoil our youth. He stopped it. He destroyed a decade of good work. Now we have an HRD minister, Murli Manohar Joshi. He too thinks it is not necessary. 

At this time the people at the helm of affairs are old people. They are not sexually active. They don’t understand the problems of youth. They do not have a vision. They don’t know sex education is good. Show me one place in the world where the youth have gotten spoilt because they had sex education. This is ridiculous!. 

Which are the worst affected states in India? 

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Manipur and Nagaland

In your estimate, how many people die of AIDS a month in a city like Mumbai? 

10,000 deaths a year, about 800 every month. 

How many children are orphaned by AIDS every month? 

Every day about 2,000 to 3,000 children are orphaned. At the end of the decade this will go up to 8,000 to 10,000 every day.

Earlier, there was a perception that HIV only attacked the poor and homosexuals. Now the middle class and upper class too are affected in India. ?

In America it did start in the homosexual community, but not in India. Here it started in the heterosexual community, the blood donors and recipients. It is there in all strata of society. But those who have access to information will be able to control it. And those who are unaware will continue to spread it. 

If you had to quantify AIDS according to the strata of Indian society what percentage would you give each strata of society? 

Those who have access to information will be safer than the ignorant. From a religious point of view, Muslims will be safer for two reasons. One is circumcision, the other is their habit of washing their genitals every time they relieve themselves or have sex. I am not suggesting that everyone has to be circumcised but they can at least wash themselves every time. 

You must pick up good habits from everywhere. 

What about the attitude towards AIDS patients? Has it changed over the years? Are hospitals still refusing to treat patients? 

The stigma against AIDS continues. Many hospitals still continue to refuse treatment. But the situation is better than it was before. In a city like Mumbai the patient does have a good choice from high level hospitals to cheaper ones. I am not saying every doctor will care for you but there are some who will. The care you get in Mumbai is not available in the rest of the country. Mumbai should not be called the AIDS capital of India. It should be called the AIDS manageable capital of India. 



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