Friday, July 22 2005 15:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) today (July 22, 2005) called for more affirmative action in the fight against AIDS and warned that the disease was assuming 'epidemic' proportions in 111 districts in India, where about 1-4 per cent of the population were HIV positive.

AIDS was also finding more victims from among women with over 40 per cent of all newly infected patients belonging to this group, considered the most vulnerable, Dr S Y Quraishi, Special Secretary & Director General, NACO, told delegates at a CII conference on accelerating the business response to HIV/AIDS, in Chennai.

"In the next five years, more than 50 per cent of new AIDS victims would come from this group (women) unless steps like 'faithful living' is promoted among couples, he said, pointing out that over 18 lakh AIDS-infected people were innocent victims.

India, which has over 5.1 million AIDS-infected population, has the second largest number of people with AIDS after South Africa at 5.3 million, he said.

Quaraishi, however, said "We should not get into the numbers game (on whether India has overtaken South Africa on the number of AIDS patients) 5.1 million is a huge number, we need to take steps to deal with this," he said.

The NACO Director General said there are some pockets in the country, where the number of AIDS-infected population was very alarming.

"Over one percentage infection is considered epidemic. In India, there are over 111 districts, where over one to four per cent of the populations are stricken with AIDS. We need to address this pockets," he said.

"Calling for more proactive steps from the corporate world in the fight against AIDS, Quraishi said India Inc must see this as a problem of 'survival' and not as part of their corporate social responsibility," he added .

Over 90 per cent of all HIV/AIDS population belongs to the more productive age group of 15-49, he pointed out. "AIDS means lesser productivity, increased cost and declining profits. Companies should see this from the point of view of survival," Quraishi said.

NACO, Quraishi said, was tackling the AIDS control through prevention as well as care and support for the infected.

"Prevention is important as 99 per cent of the population is not infected. Care and support is also important as 5.1 million HIV/AIDS population is also a big number."NACO was also looking to scale up the supply of anti-retroviral treatment (ART), which prolongs the life of the AIDS victims," he said.

ART has to be scaled up in a big way. Dr Michel Lavollay, senior adviser, Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB & Malaria, said the Fund was working with the private sector in the fight against AIDS.

The Global Fund was talking with Tata Steel, Standard Chartered Bank for 'co-investment' in the fight against AIDS.

"The basic co-investment model derives from the experience of companies that have been involved in responding to HIV. Co-investment strategy has a lot of potential," Lovallay said.