VINOD CHANDRASHEKHAR DIXIT
December 1st is World AIDS Day – an opportuni- ty for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. AIDS is a common unity problem that demands a community response. An HIV infected person can live a healthy social life but he has the social obligation of not spreading the disease. People around the world unite to show support for people liv- ing with HIV and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
I would like to point out that AIDS affects women not only as individuals who are HIV inflected but also in their multiple roles in society and the family, as health care providers. educators, wives, mothers and income providers. It is also clear that the impact of HIV-related diseases among women will, if no action is taken, inevitably worsen the situation everywhere, par- ticularly in the poorer communities.
In August’ 16, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare put the number of people getting free treatment nationally at 9,65,000, of which 53,400 are children.
This must be viewed against the most recent estimate last year, that 2.1 million people live with HIV in India, of whom 7,90,000 are women. According to the gov- ernment regulations on the prevention of infectious dis- ease, a doctor who has discovered that his patient is carrying HIV is required to try to obtain information on who infected him and what other persons the patient might have infected. It is reported that there are
approximately 21 lakh persons estimated to be living with HIV in India and the percentage of patients receiv- ing antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment currently stands at a mere 25.82% as against the global percent- age of 41%, according to the 2015 Global Burden of Diseases.
No doubt, the WHO has issued guidelines on medical procedures to be followed in handling HIV infected people but as women will have to take upon themselves a large proportion of caring for HIV-infected persons and people with AIDS, it is imperative that they are pro- vided with information, skills, knowledge and resources in order for their roles as providers of care to be less taxing, more humane and more effective. Don’t we think we should learn from the experience of Thailand, Senegal and Uganda that have brought down the HIV rate. No doubt, the government has done its part, the onus lies on civil society to help get rid of the discrimi- nation and prejudice that HIV-affected people face.
We should remind ourselves of the damage the dis- ease has done and rededicate ourselves to its preven- tion. There is need to increase awareness among youngsters, particularly girls, about HIV/AIDS. The main reason is that there is very little awareness in rural India about what exactly the disease is, its modes of transmission and its symptoms etc. Our aim must be to limit the spread of the disease and educate youth about prevention.
Time has now come when Victims need to be pro- vided with information about the emotional and physi- cal process of HIV diseases or AIDS, the ways in which HIV is transmitted. Educational materials must also be printed to accommodate differences in language, cul- ture and education. The family members should also show willingness to care for a person with AIDS. The Government should take care of counselling, health education, treatment of infected persons, organising reporting of cases and establishment of surveillance centres. The active support of the citizens, voluntary organizations and society is much essential.
dixitpatrakar@yahoo.in
