by Nirmala Carvalho

India is achieving important results in the battle to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS: in the last 10 years new cases have decreased by half. The Indian Church has 150 institutions involved in the program, of which 86 are specialized care centers.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The recent UNAIDS report says that India is on track to reverse the spread of AIDS in the country. "In India there was a decline of almost 50 percent in new cases of HIV infection in the last decade. The numbers fell from 240 thousand to 120 thousand, "said Dr. Charles Gilks, Coordinator of UNAIDS in India. The report suggests that the AIDS epidemic has been blocked and that India is among the few countries that have achieved a significant decline in rates of new HIV infections. Overall, new HIV infections fell by 20 percent in the last decade while deaths from AIDS have fallen in the last five years by 20 percent. These results also help the Catholic Church's strong commitment in India.

In Asia, the epidemic has remained concentrated largely among people who inject drugs, people who work in the sex trade, and men who have sex with other men. It is believed that about 90 percent of new infections in India are caused by unprotected sex, but the shared use of contaminated syringes is the main source of transmission of HIV in the states of northeast India.

In South India up to 15 percent of sex workers live with HIV. However, a prevention program for four years in 18 of the 27 districts of Karnataka has almost halved the presence of HIV in the prenatal stage (from1.4 to 0.8 per cent). In 2009 India was the country with the highest number of pregnant women living with HIV. Of the total number of patients in India, about 40 percent were women. Women are infected mainly because of their husbands or after sexual intercourse. The most recent data on patterns of HIV infection show that 90 percent of Indian women get sick during long-term relationships. Among the 25 countries that have the highest number of people living with HIV, India is among those who have about 80 per cent of patients in a retro viral therapy for at least a year.

The Archbishop of Agra and Secretary General og the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), Mgr. Albert D'Souza, in an exclusive interview tells AsiaNews: "The Catholic Church in India is determined to help those affected by HIV and AIDS. The Catholic Church in India, is following 'in the footsteps of Jesus, the divine physician'. Our church has worked hard in the national effort and its response to AIDS is one of the major contributions in facilitating access to prevention, care, and the support of the sick, and access to treatment. This work takes place under the Coalition for AIDS and related diseases 'of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI).

The CBCI thanks to its Healthcare Commission is involved in the Project of access to care and treatment (PACT) sponsored by the Global Fund since June 2007. This step was taken as a concrete expression of the policy of the bishops in relation to HIV and AIDS: a commitment to compassion and care. More than 150 Catholic institutions across the country are involved in these programs, and of these 86 have specialized care centers. We have people trained in this area that will help sick people by putting attention to the dignity of the person. And we also have special shelters for children affected by HIV and AIDS, where in addition to healthcare, education and rehabilitation are a priority. "

Archbishop D'Souza adds: "Sadly, people with HIV are stigmatized and suffer discrimination which is unfair, unethical and inhumane. With the Catholic organizations scattered throughout India, the Church considers it our special mission to provide a care full of mercy and compassion to ease the lives of people, besides taking concrete measures to prevent the spread of the disease. "

But far from large cities the situation is often very difficult. A specialist in the field, Dr. Bulliyya, area coordinator of an anti-Aids project (Laya), tells AsiaNews: "We work in 80 villages in the area of Addateegala, a remote tribal area of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. In this area there is a relatively high rate of sick people, but government services are very scarce, and the awareness of the disease is very low. "

• India
• catholic
• church
• HIV
• AIDS
• prevention
• care
• treatment
• anti-retroviral
• drugs
• access