India Prime Minister urges more awareness to control HIV
AIDS weekly plus 1999: 8
1999
PMID: 12294478 Document Number: 279054
With an estimated 3-4 million people infected with HIV, of whom half are aged 18-40 years, India should consider its HIV/AIDS epidemic as a national problem and address it accordingly. The disease also needs to be treated as a societal issue which affects the productivity of both economic and social sectors. The control of HIV and AIDS figures prominently in a new health policy currently being developed. At a seminar on AIDS, Prime Minister of India Atal Behari Vajpayee asked industry to supplement the government's efforts to spread awareness about AIDS. He stressed that business and industry need to seriously acknowledge the reality of HIV/AIDS and act to increase awareness about AIDS by spreading the message about prevention. Awareness is the key to prevention. Millions of HIV-positive people in India are afraid to seek medical care because of undue guilt and stigmatization. Also, young people should be taught about healthy sexual behavior and its implications. Vajpayee urged the minister of health to explore the possibilities of urgently developing an indigenous vaccine for AIDS in the most cost-effective manner.