| In the News |
| Law ministry changes violate letter and spirit of HIV/AIDS Bill, allege CSOs CSOs engaged in drafting the HIV/AIDS Bill allege that the Union law ministry has deleted important chapters in the draft Bill that advocated a rights-based approach, and introduced new measures such as mandatory testing and identification of HIV-positive people that violate people’s rights Read more |
| Economic crisis no excuse for cutting back on AIDS funding: APACHA In a statement made on World AIDS Day, the Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV and AIDS (APACHA) reminded governments worldwide of their commitments to AIDS funding, and called on governments and people in affected countries to make the changes necessary to counter the epidemic Read more |
| HIV prevalence down in high-risk states, but up in low-risk ones NACO's latest sentinel survey and estimation figures show slightly lower HIV prevalence in high-prevalence states, new pockets of the epidemic among IDUs and MSM, and an increase in HIV prevalence in states like Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal, considered to be low-prevalence states Read more |
| New guidelines on HIV/AIDS reporting The Press Council of India has issued a new set of media guidelines for reporting on people with HIV and AIDS, in India. The guidelines, devised in association with UNAIDS, lays down certain dos and don’ts for both print and television Read more |
| India loses Rs 1,579 crore in funds for AIDS, TB, malaria Lack of treatment for prisoners with HIV in jails has come to the attention of the Bombay High Court which has formed a committee to frame guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of HIV in the country’s prisons Read more |
| Court forms committee to address HIV in prisons Lack of treatment for prisoners with HIV in jails has come to the attention of the Bombay High Court which has formed a committee to frame guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of HIV in the country’s prisons Read more |
| First health insurance policy for HIV-affected launched A group insurance plan for 250 HIV-affected people was launched in Bangalore recently, in a public-private initiative Read more |
| Study confirms importance of nutrition in HIV/AIDS
A study conducted in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu shows that good nutrition dramatically increases the CD4 count and reduces opportunistic infections in HIV/AIDS patients Read more |
| First HIV counselling and testing centre opens in Chennai jail A centre to counsel and test prisoners for HIV in Puzhal jail, Tamil Nadu, may become a model for HIV services in Indian prisons Read more |
| Health experts say global AIDS response is positive overall In a debate on whether the global AIDS response has had a negative or positive effect on health systems and services in developing countries, experts at a workshop hosted by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, concluded that the negative effects were outweighed by the potential that AIDS programmes have of strengthening health systems and services Read more |
| Indian TV serial Kalyani wins prize for HIV/AIDS message Proof of the programme’s popularity and effectiveness in spreading health awareness is the fact that Kalyani clubs have sprung up all over the country to spread the message in local and innovative ways Read more |
| Men who buy sex are driving force behind AIDS epidemic in Asia: report A new report, ‘Redefining AIDS in Asia: Crafting an Effective Response’, says that since most men who buy sex are married or are about to get married, significantly “low-risk” women who only have sex with their husbands are exposed to the virus Read more |
| HIV/AIDS a 'world disaster': Red Cross The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says it has chosen to focus on HIV/AIDS because the multiple consequences of the disease constitute a long-term and complex disaster Read more |
| Bill Gates announces $ 23 million HIV/AIDS grant to India The Gates Foundation has committed another $ 23 million for HIV/AIDS programmes in India over the next three years, to be channelled through the National AIDS Control Organisation Read more |
| Free second-line ART extended to more cities in India Designated medical centres in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata will begin dispensing free second-line antiretroviral therapy to eligible HIV-positive people from September 2008. Only 110 HIV-positive people are currently on second-line ART in India Read more |
| Criminalising paid sex will not protect sex workers, say activists Although existing legislation punishing those in sex work has been criticised for unfairly targeting the victim whilst allowing the client to go free, activists argue that a proposed amendment that seeks to correct this injustice actually makes sex workers more vulnerable Read more |
| AIDS epidemic continues to outpace response: UNAIDS meet The high-level UN meeting on AIDS, on June 10-11, 2008, lauded steps taken to combat the epidemic but emphasised that more accountability of funds and greater access to treatment were among the measures that governments must take seriously Read more |
| Governments meet to take stock of HIV/AIDS commitments Stocktaking of the UN’s 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, and deliberations with civil society organisations, government representatives, NGOs and other players on a wide range of HIV/AIDS issues is the focus of a two-day high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS in New York Read more |
| Rapid testing of pregnant women for HIV in rural India effective: study Pregnant women can be tested for HIV and administered antiretroviral therapy if found to be HIV-positive, to effectively prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease, says a new international study conducted in India Read more |
| CSOs demand lifting of travel ban on people with HIV A signature campaign ahead of a high-level UN meeting on HIV/AIDS calls for countries to lift restrictions on travel for people with HIV Read more |
| Pressure mounts on govt to table HIV/AIDS Bill The Bill will ensure non-discrimination for people with HIV/AIDS, be it in education, employment, access to treatment or legal support Read more |
| Activists demand action on draft HIV Bill, during Global AIDS Action Week To mark Global AIDS Action Week, activists in India want the government to pass a Bill that gives AIDS patients the right to treatment and outlaws discrimination against them Read more |
| HIV+ employee sues firm for discrimination A driver sacked by a multinational drugs firm for being HIV-positive has taken his employers to court Read more |
| AIDS project to pay people to avoid unsafe sex A World Bank-funded project in Tanzania hopes that a combination of counselling and cash incentives will create awareness about safe sex Read more |
| Opinion veering against AIDS vaccine research Scientists and researchers are beginning to debate whether, after 25 years of research into an AIDS vaccine, it’s time to admit that the money can be better spent elsewhere Read more |
| Indians lack genetic immunity to HIV/AIDS: Study The study, which is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world, identified a representative set of 75 genes involved in cancer, ageing, eye disease, cardiovascular disorders and neuro-psychiatric disorders, and analysed variations within these genes among the sample population Read more |
| Govt admits it has no strategy to deal with HIV-affected children India’s health minister told the Lok Sabha recently that in the absence of proper data on the number of children affected by HIV/AIDS, there is no comprehensive care and treatment strategy for them Read more |
| 2.1 million children live with HIV/AIDS: UN report The latest UN report on children and HIV/AIDS says that a lot of progress has been made on combating mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus and in the treatment needs of children Read more |
| Workplace discrimination against HIV/AIDS declines: ILO A six-country survey of workers also reported a marked increase in condom usage over the past four years. Written HIV policies are thought to be a key reason for the positive changes Read more |
| India planning HIV anti-discrimination law Concerned with continuing discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, the government is planning to introduce legislation that will penalise anyone found guilty of discrimination, including doctors, corporate establishments and schools and colleges Read more |
NFHS-III: India’s HIV prevalence rate down to 0.28% |
| UN revises global HIV figures by 7 million The United Nations has reduced its global estimate of the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS from nearly 40 million in 2006 to 33 million this year, saying a major reassessment of HIV prevalence in India accounts for much of the decrease Read more |
| Tamil Nadu rolls out HIV-testing labs-on-wheels The state with one of the most aggressive HIV/AIDS testing programmes launches an initiative to take testing and counselling facilities to areas where access has previously been poor. Tribal populations in remote areas, migrant and daily wage labourers, women and residents of urban slums are key targets of this service Read more |
| 40% of Indians shun doctors who treat HIV patients: survey Conducted by the US-based MAC AIDS Fund, in nine countries across four continents, this latest study finds that prejudice, fear and stigma continue to exclude people living with AIDS from the mainstream Read more |
| India to offer free second-line ARV treatment for HIV, from January 2008 Nearly 2,000 patients are expected to benefit from the free treatment in its first phase Read more |
| Red Ribbon Express finally on track to spread AIDS message in India The specially designed seven-coach train, which will cover a staggering 27,000 km, stopping at 180 stations where volunteers on board will hold awareness programmes and activities in an estimated 50,000 villages, was flagged off at New Delhi railway station earlier this month Read more |
| Rural Indian women rarely test for HIV: study Women in this study however had better knowledge of HIV than women in an earlier 2001 Indian census sample. They were much more likely to have heard of HIV, to be aware of condoms, to know that consistent condom use is an effective way of preventing HIV, and to know that HIV can be transmitted through contact with infected blood Read more |
| HIV affected in Orissa to receive monthly pension In a significant, albeit token gesture, the impoverished eastern Indian state becomes perhaps the first state to offer monthly benefits of this nature to people living with HIV/AIDS Read more |
| NACO scraps nearly 40% of its targeted interventions NACO says it is streamlining interventions and weeding out ineffective organisations in order to stick to the objectives of the new AIDS policy which includes expanding the focus to include truckers and migrant workers Read more |