India may see the largest number of AIDS cases in world

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India may see the largest number of AIDS cases in world

New Delhi: The Hindustan Times 1 October 2001,

September 30: INDIA HAS already earned the dubious distinction of reporting the

second largest number of AIDS and HIV cases in the world. If this trend is not

checked, India would soon become home to the largest number of such diseases,

warned Municipal Commissioner S P Aggarwal.

He was addressing a symposium on 'Prevention of HIV-AIDS and Syndromic Approach

to Sexually Transmitted Infections' organised by the Health Department of

Municipal Corporation of Delhi at the Hindu Rao Hospital yesterday. The

symposium was attended by representatives of the World Health Organisation

(WHO), National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), and medical and para-medical

professionals.

Mr. Aggarwal said that its a matter of concern that while the incidence of such

diseases was declining in the Western countries, sexually transmitted diseases

(STDs) were on the rise in India. Delhi alone has 22,400 HIV positive and 612

full blown AIDS cases.

Prevention of AIDS calls for behavioural changes, he said.

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Dr. Jagdish Harsh

François-Xavier Bagnoud (INDIA)

E-mail: jamworld@...

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