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Hats off to Revathy Menon, the actress-turned director, who showed her guts to place Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) at the heart of the story of her film ‘Phir Milenge’. Probably for the first time, a mainstream Bollywood film revealed the disappointments of a successful career woman who is an Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive. The film also touched upon ignorance, fear, social stigma and discrimination at the workplace and the legal machinery for doing away with the wrongs committed against those living with AIDS. The film earned appreciation from all quarters including the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr. Peter Piot, who lauded the venture by saying, “those living with the virus should get a sympathetic human touch”.
Globally more than 40 million people are living with AIDS, half or more of them are under the age of 25 years. AIDS is the prime cause of death in Africa and the fourth leading cause of death globally. In some African countries, infection rates are five times higher in young women than young men. India is also not an exception. In fact, the sad truth is that here 5.1 million people are living with HIV positive virus and around 38 per cent of them are women. Although this is less than one per cent of the country’s population, yet statistics show that the country is the home of second highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. The country accounts for almost 10 per cent of the over 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally and over 60 per cent of the 7.4 million living with HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to the statistics provided by National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), the total number of people suffering from the disease in 2004 is 91,080. Epidemiological analysis of reported AIDS cases reveals that it is affecting mainly young people in the sexually active age group. The majority of the HIV infections (87.7 per cent) are in the age group of 15-44 years. The predominant mode of transmission of the infection in AIDS patients is through heterosexual contact (85.7 per cent), followed by injecting drug use (IDU), blood transfusion and others. The AIDS case data surveillance points out that not only the commercial sex workers, ID users and persons indulging in unsafe sex practices but women and children belonging to general population are also affected by the disease. In 2004, around 22 per cent of the HIV infected are women with single partner. Many of them have transmitted the virus to their off springs too. In the country six States i.e., Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, and Nagaland have high prevalence of HIV. They are cited so as the prevalence rate here exceeds 5 per cent among high-risk groups and 1 per cent among antenatal women. It is high time that AIDS should be considered not only as a major health hazard, but also a social, economic and cultural challenge.
In his message on World AIDS Day 2004, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan hails women as most courageous, creative champions in fight against HIV/AIDS . He said, “This year’s World AIDS Day is an occasion to recognize the burden that women and girls bear in the age of HIV/AIDS, but equally, to celebrate their achievements in the fight against the epidemic………. What is needed is real, positive change that will give more power and confidence to women and girls. Change that will transform relations between women and men at all levels of society. Change that can only be brought about through the education of girls, through legal and social reforms, and through greater awareness and responsibility among men. Change that will allow women to play to the full their role in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Empowering women in this struggle must be our strategy for the future. It is among them that the real heroes of this war are to be found. It is our job to furnish them with hope”.
To combat the situation, the Government has taken ample steps to fight against this fatal disease both nationally and internationally. The financial outlay for the National AIDS Control Programme Phase II (1999-2004) has been increased from Rs. 1,425 crore to Rs. 1,941 crore. NACO has mobilized additional resources through the financial awards won at the global fund on AIDS, TB and Malaria. Besides, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has ensured an initial commitment of US $ 200 million to catalyze current activities on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and to usher in additional initiatives.
Though various initiatives are being taken to control the AIDS menace, the NACO report is a matter of worry for the people of West Bengal too, as 2,621 people are reported to be suffering from AIDS in the State. According to Shri Suresh Kumar, the head of the West Bengal chapter of the State AIDS Control Society, the State comprises 5,849 HIV positive people with Kolkata having nearly 2210 HIV positive people. Yet a ray of hope in this gloomy scenario is the coming up of a 10-bed hospital for treatment of AIDS patients in Kolkata. It is expected to benefit not only the patients from West Bengal, but also, those from North East, where the prevalence of the disease is quite high.
The hospital, a joint venture of Infectious Diseases (ID) Hospital, Kolkata and National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), is a part of the Centre’s commitment to expand AIDS treatment programmes through the public healthcare system. NACO is going to supply all types of anti-retroviral medicines to this centre, informed the Director of NICED, Shri Sujit Bhattacharya. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also provided funds for the project.
Last, but not the least, the country would finally have a legislation to protect the human rights of HIV positive and AIDS patients, particularly, to cover aspects related to confidentiality and discrimination. The legislation conceived at the behest of NACO, is going to include issues related to the consent to testing, maintaining confidentiality of status, removing stigma and discrimination, vulnerability, promoting HIV/AIDS research and treatment. NACO hopes that the legislation would create an environment to enable effective control of the disease.
Let us hope for a situation when India would boast of being a totally HIV/AIDS – free nation.(PIB Features)
**Information Assistant, PIB, Kolkata
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