|
The phase-I trial of Adeno Associated Virus Vaccine against AIDS is planned for June,2005. Clinical trials of the vaccine has already commenced in February, 2005. Announcing this at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Conference on Task Force on HIV/AIDS in Washington on Tuesday, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss said that the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organisation in collaboration with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative are developing the HIV sub-type C vaccine.
Dr. Ramadoss gave an overview of the action taken by the Government of India and said that the latest estimates have shown 5.124 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in the country. He said, there is no room for complacence in our efforts to control HIV/AIDS. He said, the focus was on behaviour change communications and the effort was to ensure that vulnerable populations avoid high risk behaviour.
On ART therapy, the Minister said that since April, 2004, 25 ART Centres in 13 states of the country are offering free ART services. He said that the National Council on AIDS is under constitution and the structure of the National AIDS Committee and the National AIDS Control Board are being revamped. The process of independent evaluation of the National AIDS Control Programme has also been started with the objective of studying all components of the programme including the process of HIV estimation. He said, the future challenge was to scale up and diversify the responses and in this, the Government was looking for public-private partnership and involvement of the corporate sector. He also said that the Government was looking at strengthening and accreditation of HIV testing laboratories and blood banks and scaling up anti-retroviral therapy for 100,000 patients by setting up more ART centers by 2007.
EK/MK.
|
