Title: [The HIV tragedy in India: twelve million will probably be HIV-positive in the year 2000. Vulnerable women will suffer most]

POPLINE Document Number: 122680

Author(s):

Svensson P

Source citation:

LAKARTIDNINGEN, 1997 Mar 5;94(10):801-4.

Abstract:

According to the World Health Organization there are over 3 million people infected with HIV in India today [1997], and it is estimated that there will be 12 million by the year 2000. The situation is similar to that of Zambia, where infected people started to die from tuberculosis and opportunistic infections. In India the most frequent type of HIV is HIV-1 with subtype C. On the other hand, parasitic diseases such as toxoplasmosis are more frequent in Bombay than in Africa. 14% of all HIV cases in India are infected with both HIV-1 and HIV-2. A study from the city of Pune showed that 12% of patients with venereal diseases become infected with HIV every year. 80% of Bombay's 60,000 prostitutes are infected, but it is also more common among the newborn. In Bombay, 3 of 100 pregnant women carry the virus, and 200,000 adults in the city with 14 million inhabitants are infected. The increasing epidemic means that the 48,000 hospital beds of the state of Maharashtra are not sufficient for the almost 80 million inhabitants. Only Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, and Kerala have drafted a strategy to tackle the epidemic in spite of backing from the World Bank. Some voluntary organizations supported by the Ford Foundation work among prostitutes handing out condoms and doing social work. Unconventional methods used by Population Service International, such as videos featuring film stars and shown in bars, have proved to be widely popular AIDS information messages. Project Child provides assistance to families with HIV, especially those who become orphans and who are placed in foster homes. Half of India's 960 million inhabitants are illiterate, and talking about sexual matters is scorned at; therefore, it is very difficult to provide information about AIDS for the masses. Some even feel that the battle against AIDS has been lost because of apathy and lack of foresight.

Keywords:

India
AIDS
HIV Infections
Epidemics
Prevalence
Incidence
Urban Population
Population At Risk
Asia, Southern
Asia
Developing Countries
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Measurement
Research Methodology
Population Characteristics
Demographic Factors
Population