|
The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Meira Kumar has called for urgent and concerted action by the Government and the civil society for tackling HIV/AIDS problem. Releasing the Monograph on ‘Injecting Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS in India’, here today. Smt. Kumar said that an estimated 5.1 million people are infected with HIV in India. She said that in many cities with concentrated population of injecting drug users, the HIV prevalence is above the critical level of 5 per cent. Smt. Kumar said that experience of many African countries have demonstrated that the situation could get out of the control if it is not controlled at an infection level of 1 or 2 per cent of the general population. She said that the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is partnering with National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and Civil Society in tackling the problem. The Minister said that we are continuously stepping up our efforts to increase the capacity of the service providers to prevent spread of HIV. She said that SJ&E Ministry is trying to support composite programmes in some selected areas with not only substance users but also having a large number of young widows and orphans having little capacity to cope with life. Their unfortunate plight is because of their male partners having died due to injecting drug use. Smt. Kumar hoped that the Monograph will help the planners and implementing agencies in developing appropriate strategies for addressing the aspect of drug abuse caused by injecting drug users.
The Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Smt. Subbulakshmi Jagdeesan said that the prevalent family and social system in India make women more vulnerable to bear the burden of HIV infection transmitted to them through their substance-using partner. She said that their voice should be taken in view while framing intervention strategies.
The Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary Smt. Sarita Prasad said that the recommendations of the Monograph could be made part of broader social welfare and health policies. She said that HIV has devastative consequences for street children and sex workers. Smt. Prasad said that SJ&E Ministry would be expending its cooperation with NALCO and UN Agencies for control over prevention of HIV.
The Monograph, based on the survey sponsored by SJ&E Ministry and UN Office on Drugs and Crime, says that injecting drug use (IDU) in India is not confined to North Eastern states but extends to all geographical areas of the country. It says that the nature of IDU allows for spread of HIV to general population and also contributes to the feminization of the epidemic. The Monograph says that about 14% of drug users seeking treatment have been injecting drug users. The report says that HIV infection among injecting drug users is highest in Chennai (63.8%). Churachandpur-(32.8%), Mumbai-(24.8%), Tuensang-(24.9%), Bishnupur-(22.4%), Delhi-(14.4%) and Imphal (18.0%). The Report recommends for adoption of a comprehensive strategy involving support from the Government, Civil society and the drug use communities.
|
