India finance minister says AIDS cases underreported
Pastor Dale Morgan
*India finance minister says AIDS cases underreported*
23 May 2007 13:12:13 GMT
Source: Reuters
NEW DELHI, May 23 (Reuters) - The number of people suffering from
HIV/AIDS in India, the country with the world's highest caseload, could
be more than the official count as many cases are not reported or
detected, the finance minister said on Wednesday.
India has 5.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS, according to the
United Nations.
The state-run National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), which
spearheads the country's fight against the deadly HIV virus, estimates
5.2 million cases.
NACO figures do not include people below 15 years and above 49 years of age.
"All reports indicate it (HIV/AIDS) is under-reported and under-detected
in the country," Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told a
corporate awards ceremony.
"We now recognise it is a serious problem and it is good now we are not
in a state of denial anymore."
AIDS activists say a lack of awareness and widespread stigma has
contributed to paranoia among many people about the virus and forced
thousands of patients to hide their infection.
Many people, including some federal lawmakers, believe that a person can
get HIV by shaking hands with an infected person, surveys have shown.
"Some hospitals and many families do not report HIV cases because of
social stigma and this should be taken into account," said Denis Broun,
UNAIDS chief in India.
Some experts say that if India's HIV epidemic does not stabilise, it
could impact long-term economic prospects as many of those who are
HIV-positive are in their twenties and thirties, ages seen as most
productive in their jobs.
NACO estimates that out of 165,000 reported AIDS deaths so far, around
50,000 were in the 15-29 year age group.
(Additional reporting by Kamil Zaheer and Surojit Gupta)