Surveys put HIV cases at 9,000 Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Dec 1 – A day after an official announcement put the total number of HIV positive people in Assam at 3,835, the State Health Minister today said that some well regarded surveys would suggest that up to 9,000 people could actually be infected. The discrepancy between the number documented till November 1 this year and the figure indicated by the surveys was because of people failing to come for HIV tests and getting identified.
Speaking at an open meeting to mark the World AIDS Day at the Pragjyoti ITA auditorium here, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that efforts would have to be redoubled till the actual number of people could be brought under the umbrella of counselling, treatment and care programme of Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS) and its partner organisations.
“It is good that we have screened more than four lakh people and identified around four thousand people as HIV infected, but the challenge is to identify more so that greater care and support becomes available to all those infected,” Sarma said.
He revealed that some initial surveys had put the number of HIV infected people in the State at 26,000 but NACO had revised it to the present estimates.
In his view, the biggest responsibility now was in “rapid diagnosis of the people with HIV” and for that standards to identify and screen them would have to improve. Although the process of identification of people with HIV had shown results, according to Sarma, “we are still under performing”.
Referring to 151 children who have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS, he said that plans were on to build an orphanage where they would have all the provisions to lead decent lives. He stressed that effective steps must be taken to ensure that more pregnant women were made aware of the threats of the disease, and with their informed consent they be provided with medical intervention. “Today, two simple medical interventions could make babies secure from being born with HIV,” the Health Minister observed.
At present, batches of GNM nurses have been educated on HIV/AIDS and about ways to prevent its occurrence and spread. In due course of time they and other stakeholders would be able to play crucial roles in combating the disease in areas across the State.
Sarma, alluding to safe blood products and transfusion of blood said that the Health Department was aware of certain malpractices being committed by a number of private blood banks which were violating strict NACO norms and endangering the lives of many. “We are aware and we have informed them of our concerns. If they do not rectify, we will take strong action like closing such blood banks,” he asserted. The need to promote voluntary blood donation was important in this context, he added.
Appreciating the role played by the Assam State AIDS Control Society, he said that there was more ground to be covered and that could be achieved in conjunction with other stakeholders.
Mridula Saharia, the chairperson of Assam State Women’s Commission in her speech connected the issue of HIV/AIDS with the status of women in society. The ability of women to counter the threat from the disease could improve if she was better informed and empowered in her social and economic circumstances.
“Special focus must be given on women and children so that the vulnerable groups are protected from the disease that has no cure,” she noted.
The need to highlight awareness about AIDS among youth was underlined by Prof OK Medhi, Vice Chancellor of Guahati University. He said that the university was involved in a few training programmes of NACO, admitting more could be done to inform and empower the youth in times to come. Identifying the Psychology Department as a possible partner in carrying out the fight against AIDS, he said that with adequate human resource it could help in the training of counsellors.
Earlier, in his welcome address, JC Goswami, Commissioner Secretary, Health, spelled out the objectives of World AIDS Day, which was first observed in 1988 following a meet of Health Ministers of a large number of countries.
Besides the open meeting, the day was marked by a rally that took place in the morning. A cross section of people, including doctors, nurses, NGO workers, sports and entertainment personalities comprised the placard-carrying procession that ended in the ITA centre.
