HIV/AIDS
Overview
HIV
(human immunodeficiency virus) infection has now
spread to every country in the world.
Approximately 40 million people are currently
living with HIV infection, and an estimated
25 million have died from this disease. The
scourge of HIV has been particularly devastating
in sub-Saharan Africa, but infection rates in
other countries remain high. In the United States,
approximately 1 million people are currently
infected. Globally, 85% of HIV transmission is
heterosexual.
The History of HIV/AIDS in
India
At
the beginning of 1986, despite over 20,000
reported AIDS cases worldwide, India had no
reported cases of HIV or AIDS. There was recognition,
though, that this would not be the case for long,
and concerns were raised about how India would
cope once HIV and AIDS cases started to
emerge .
Later in the
year, India?s first cases of HIV were diagnosed
among sex workers in
Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was noted that contact with foreign
visitors had played a role in initial infections
among sex workers, and as HIV screening Centres
were set up across the country there were calls
for visitors to be screened for HIV. Gradually,
these calls subsided as more attention was paid to
ensuring that HIV screening was carried out in
blood banks .
In 1987 a
National AIDS Control Programme was launched to
co-ordinate national responses.
In 1999,
the second phase of the National AIDS Control
Programme (NACP II) came into effect.
In 2007,the third phase (NACP III) began,
with the highest priority placed on reaching 80
percent of high-risk groups including sex workers,
men who have sex with men, and injecting drug
users with targeted interventions .
The third stage
of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-III),
was launched in July 2007 and runs until
2012.
