Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 11 2009:
District AIDS Control Officer, Imphal West Dr RK Lakhsana Singh has expressed concern over HIV prevalence rate of one positive out of every 100 pregnant mothers tested in Manipur.
Delivering the key note address of the World AIDS Day observance held at Mekola Indira Gandhi Community Hall in Imphal West district today, Dr Lakhsana said detection of more than one HIV positive cases out of every 100 pregnant mothers tested is a very serious issue.
In an accordance to a report published by the Manipur AIDS Control Society, till September this year, there are 33,408 HIV positive cases in Manipur out of 3,38,203 blood sample tested.
Of this, 8,701 are women.
At one time, HIV prevalence among the Injecting drug Users (IDUs) in Manipur was above 70 percent.
But now it has come down to 17.9 percent only.
The HIV prevalence rate among pregnant mothers is 1.3 percent while 16.4 percent among men having sex with men (MSMs), 12.9 percent among commercial sex workers and 4 percent from sexually transmitted infection.
Dr Lakhsana said every HIV positive pregnant mothers should try to utilise the benefits being provided under the PPTCT so as to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.
Observed under the theme of 'Universal access and human rights', the function was organised jointly by District AIDS Control Committee, Imphal West; Indian Red Cross Society, Imphal West and Mekola Primary Health Centre Development Committee.
Deputy Commissioner of Imphal West K Radhakumar Singh and Chief Medical Officer of Imphal West Dr H Jadumani Singh attended the inaugural function as chief guest and president respectively.
Adhyaksha of Imphal West Zilla Parishad S Sobhachandra Singh; president of Manipur State Panchayat Parishad Sh Chaoba; chairman of Indian Red Cross Society, Imphal West District Dr K Arunkanta Singh and MO in-charge of Mekola Primary Health Centre Dr Khundrakpam Usha were also present at the occasion as guests of honour.
In his address as chief guest of the function, Radhakumar pointed out that ensuring right to life to people living with HIV/AIDS and to stop stigma and discrimination against such patients should be the responsibility of everyone in the society.
Dr Jadumani observed that the very fact that 99 percent of the people in Manipur know bout HIV/AIDS shows that it is a serious health problem.
However, the general notion that all the HIV infected/affected people would die is unfortunate.
We have to understand that even if there is no medicine as of now which could cure HIV/AIDS, we can control the virus spreading the disease.