Over 40% of people living with HIV in India are women
In what could pose a significant challenge for India to meet its ambitious target of ending AIDS by 2030, women continue to account for more than 40% of people living with HIV infection in the country .The share of women is crucial because of risk of transmission from pregnant women, uneducated and unaware women as well as among vulnerable groups including sex workers.
The latest HIV estimates by the government shows a 66% decline in new HIV cases in last five years with India recording an average of 86,000 new infections in 2015.
The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at 21.17 lakh in 2015 compared with 22.26 lakh in 2007.While two-fifth of the total HIV infections are among women, children under 15 years of age accounted for 6.54% of the total cases.
According to Nochiketa Mohanty , country program me manager, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, while there are programmes to prevent parent-to-child transmission of the virus, there is greater need to focus on women.
“There is huge need to ramp up education and awarnessness about HIV infection among women besides upgrading the social status of women in order to empower her to make choices related to her sexual partner,“ Mohanty said.
Experts also say HIV tes ting is not much prevalent among women, especially in rural areas and even among the migrating population in both urban and rural settings. Data shows only 2030% of tests are conducted among women which is mostly by those who are pregnant or urban youth.
These indicators assume significance also because India is halfway through the implementation of the fourth phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-IV) and is at a critical juncture to achieve its goals for 2017 when the programme is scheduled to get over.
This would also mean complete withdrawal of international funding for AIDS control in India and the government will have fund its initiatives on its own.
Estimates show that undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had the highest estimated number of people living with HIV , followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The latest HIV estimates by the government shows a 66% decline in new HIV cases in last five years with India recording an average of 86,000 new infections in 2015.
The total number of people living with HIV is estimated at 21.17 lakh in 2015 compared with 22.26 lakh in 2007.While two-fifth of the total HIV infections are among women, children under 15 years of age accounted for 6.54% of the total cases.
According to Nochiketa Mohanty , country program me manager, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, while there are programmes to prevent parent-to-child transmission of the virus, there is greater need to focus on women.
“There is huge need to ramp up education and awarnessness about HIV infection among women besides upgrading the social status of women in order to empower her to make choices related to her sexual partner,“ Mohanty said.
Experts also say HIV tes ting is not much prevalent among women, especially in rural areas and even among the migrating population in both urban and rural settings. Data shows only 2030% of tests are conducted among women which is mostly by those who are pregnant or urban youth.
These indicators assume significance also because India is halfway through the implementation of the fourth phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-IV) and is at a critical juncture to achieve its goals for 2017 when the programme is scheduled to get over.
This would also mean complete withdrawal of international funding for AIDS control in India and the government will have fund its initiatives on its own.
Estimates show that undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had the highest estimated number of people living with HIV , followed by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Source| Times of India, 08.02.2016, p.15,
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Over-40-of-people-living-with-HIV-in-08022016013010
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