Govt accepts UNAIDS’ report of 5.7 m HIV/AIDS cases

[Guest guest]

Govt accepts UNAIDS' report of 5.7 m HIV/AIDS cases

UNI

New Delhi, June 27: The controversy over a UNAIDS report that India

has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases took a new turn today with

the UN agency claiming the Indian government has accepted its report.

" A minister at the launch of YUVA programme today said that India

has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases. This indicates that the

Indian government has accepted the UNAIDS report about the country

having 5.7 million HIV/AIDS cases, the highest in the world, " the

UNAIDS country representative, Mr Denis Braun told UNI.

He was referring to the Union Panchayati Raj and Youth Affairs

Minister, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, who while addressing the YUVA

(Youth Unite for Victory on AIDS) programme launch this morning had

apparently said that India has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases

and a movement be launched among youth to fight the disease.

Referring to the Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani

Ramadoss' " disappointment " with the UNAIDS report on Global AIDS

Epidemic, 2006, released last month, which stated that India has

surpassed South Africa by reporting 5.7 million HIV/AIDS cases, the

highest in the world and 4 lakh deaths due to AIDS in 2005 more than

3.2 lakh of South Africa, Mr Braun said the Union Health Minister

had reacted " violently " and without consulting concerned officials

and authorities.

The Union Health Minister had said that the UNAIDS/WHO was involved

in the HIV/AIDS data collection by NACO which put the figure at 5.2

million so why UNAIDS did not consult the government while stating

that India had 5.7 million HIV/AIDS cases in its report.

" We relied on the NACO figures for HIV/AIDS which only included the

HIV/AIDS infection among 15 years to 49 years. But we all know that

HIV/AIDS infection occurs among children and even those in the age

group of above 50 also. So we had a mathematical derivation which

included the figures for these age groups also and arrived at 5.7

million figure, " he said.

" Moreover, we had sent the figures of 5.7 million HIV/AIDS infection

to the minister in March itself. May be he did not get time to go

through the issue at that time due to his pre-occupation and busy

schedule or did not realise the importance of the issue at that

time. So, it is not our fault, " the UNAIDS representative said while

denying the Union Health Minister's charge that the UN agency did

not inform the Indian government before declaring the new figures.

Mr Braun said the UNAIDS had always cooperated with the Indian

government and " worked in tandem " .

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