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Homage to AIDS deaths, hope for HIV positives
'Sharing our vision for a brighter tomorrow'
By Seram Neken
Light up a candle at the gate to honor those who have died of AIDS and that light will serve as a ray of hope for people who are HIV positive and the patients who are awaiting their last breadth. Tell everyone that life with HIV is worth living and people with AIDS have no differences with us. The world is observing the 19th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on Sunday, the 19th May 2002 to honor the souls of AIDS deaths, to show care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS, to raise awareness and to mobilize community involvement in the fight against the disease. People all over the world will light candles everywhere to mark the observation and to wipe out the Satan of Human Immune Deficiency Virus. AIDS memorial is not a mere observance. It is rather a message to everyone that HIV positive persons can now live longer and have better quality of lives. AIDS is serious disease because it has no cure and no vaccine and it leads to death.
Secondly, it causes pre-mature deaths of young people in their most productive and reproductive age thereby severely affecting the socio-economic structure of families, communities and countries. Thirdly, it is transmitted through sex which is essentially a private domain, done in secret and out of a natural urge. And also through sharing of injecting equipment drug injection equipment drug injection being pleasurable practice done in secret. Fourthly, AIDS involves serious legal, ethical, social and economical issues like marriage, pre-marital sex, deprivation, ostracization, employment etc. HIV has no boundary. Across mountainous, seas and continents the virus spreads. It penetrates into places where even men cannot easily travel due to bad transport and communication. It has spared no continent, country or State. AIDS does not discriminate between the rich and poor, old and young, beautiful and ugly, high and low and so on. It easily catches the ignorant and those who indulge in risky behaviors knowingly or unknowingly.
On the other hand, AIDS is easily preventable. It is transmitted through only a few limited ways. People who are well aware and are ready follow certain safe behaviors are immune to HIV/AIDS. Many people all over the globe have been infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Most disheartening reality in Manipur is the emergence of AIDS widows and orphans.
According to WHO definition, the loss of either the father or the mother is sufficient to call a baby as orphan. We have witnessed a number of young widows whose tenderness and beauty have been lost to AIDS and many boys and girls becoming orphans for no fault of theirs.
Present Scenario
By the beginning of this year, an estimated 40 million people of the globe have HIV in their blood. In 2002 alone, 5 million people were newly infected with HIV and 3 million died of AIDS. Children below 15 years of age remain the most innocent victims of the epidemic with 2.7 million estimated children infected with HIV the world over. New infections in children in 2001 is recorded as 8 lakhs and nearly 6 lakhs children were killed in the same year. Globally, the new infection in 2001 is recorded as 14,000 per day, of whom 2000 are children below 15 years of age. The remaining 12,000 are adults of 15-49 years of age. Of this, women contribute 50 percent.
In Manipur out of every hundred pregnant women, two are HIV infected on the average. During the last HIV Sentinel surveillance conduct in Manipur, 55 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics were found to be HIV infected. The penetration of AIDS among the low risk general population of the increasing rate of infection among pregnant women and the appearance of innocent young widows and orphans.
Out of 56,518 blood samples tested up to March this year, 307 children including 127 female children below 10 years are found HIV positive. HIV sero – positivity are rate of Manipur (156.77 per 1000 blood samples screened) has become the highest in India today. Till March 2002, the number of reported HIV positive cases in Manipur is 13,184 including 1758 females. There are many cases of infection, illness and death unknown and unreported due to one or the other reason.
The estimate of HIV infection in Manipur as pert the UNAIDS and NACO report published in 1998 in about 38,000. All districts of the State have been affected, the highest prevalent district being Imphal. The rate of HIVC infection among the drug users in the year 1994 was 55.7%. the figure was shot up to 76.9% in 1997 and came down to stabilize at a little more than 56% in 2001.
Policy on care and support for people with HIV/ AIDS:
The National Policy on AIDS prevention and control emphasizes the importance of right to privacy and confidentiality of HIV positive people and their proper care and support in hospitals and the community. The HIV status of an individual should not affect employment and educational right, marital relationship and other fundamental rights. HIV positive women are free to decide about their pregnancy and childbirth. No forcible abortion or sterilization on grounds of HIV status of a woman is allowed. The prophylaxis or prevention of mother to child HIV transmission will be introduced to cover all infected mothers.
According to the national policy, formation of self-help groups among HIV positive persons to take care of themselves should be encouraged by the Government. There should be provision of care for people with AIDS in the form of clinical management, nursing care, access to drugs and counseling facilities through Home base care. The Policy dwells on advocacy and sensitization for doctors, nurses and paramedics to avoid undue discrimination, stigmatization and denial of services to HIV infected people. There should be strict enforcement of bio-safety measures in hospitals including proper disposal of syringes and needles used for HIV infected patients.
The excise and customs duties on anti-retroviral drugs have been reduced in order to ensure easy availability to patients at reasonable price. Although the Government is not supporting antiretroviral therapy, it has provision for treatment of opportunistic infections.
Conclusion:
Policy document is very much clear. Government is committed and efforts are being made at all levels. No dearth of resources for AIDS control is heard. What is needed is the mass uprising against AIDS. We, people should understand, come forward and act, AIDS will be no more in a society where its people as a whole know the disease and adopt safe behaviors to protect themselves. No policy statement can save us unless we have love and care for HIV/AIDS affected people in our heart. In order to make a brighter and better tomorrow, we should share our ideas, vision and actions in a constructive way. Hence, this year's theme for the Candlelight memorial observance is ' Sharing your vision for a brighter tomorrow '. (The writer is the Assistant Director, Manipur State AIDS Control Society).
(Courtesy: The Imphal Free Press)
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