HIV/AIDS was first identified in India at laboratories in Chennai
and Vellore, both in Tamil Nadu, in 1986. Since then, the World
Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that India has the largest
number of HIV positive people in any single country. In response
to WHO's statement, the Indian Government formed the National Aids
Control Organisation (NACO) to oversee the country's response to
the impending epidemic. NACO's surveillance programme shows that
the incidence of HIV positive people in India has more than doubled
between 1992 and 1999. NACO's surveillance also reveals that the
main areas of infection are Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and Manipur. Over
one third of India's HIV positive population are from Tamil Nadu.
ICT-SEEDS has been working in Tamil Nadu since 1987 and was well
positioned to play a role in combating the spread of HIV. ICT has
been able to obtain grants from the Mercury Phoenix Trust to carry
out work in close collaboration with NACO, the Meenakshi Mission
Hospital, The Mother Saravedevi Social Service Society, and many
other concerned local NGOs on an HIV/AIDS Awareness project, which
is essentially a 'Training of Trainers' scheme under which ICT-SEEDS
staff have been sensitised about the realities of HIV/AIDS. ICT-SEEDS
staff is now able to train others, both within the NGO community
and at the grassroots, about the methods of HIV prevention; the
myths and realities of contagion and transmission, and home care
and support for HIV/AIDS sufferers.
3 new staff have been hired for the HIV/AIDS Awareness programme,
one who is a trained counsellor whose job it is to deal primarily
with the social and psychological affects of the virus as well as
to advise on palliative treatment and, if necessary and possible,
arrange hospice care.
Testing for the virus is also a component of the project. By Indian
standards, testing is expensive, nearly four pounds for the LISA
test and thirty pounds for the more accurate western blot, which
is well beyond the reach of most people.
The ICT-SEEDS HIV/AIDS Awareness project has also been very active
in forming an umbrella organisation, AIDS Prevention and Action
Forum (APAF), which is ensuring a co-ordinated effort from the NGOs
in the project area who are working to prevent the spread of the
virus.
In this past financial year, APAF have been very active in putting
together rallies to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS throughout Tamil
Nadu and to put pressure on local government to play its role in
addressing the problem
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