NACO sounds alarm bell on Nagaland AIDS scenario

Kohima, Oct 13 (UNI) The National AIDS Control Society (NACO) has sounded an alarm on Nagaland AIDS scenario saying the state was heading for a South Africa-like situation.

Addressing a workshop on HIV/AIDS, NACO's additional secretary and director general Sujatha Rao said yesterday the situation in Nagaland was similar to that of South Africa. "If the spread of HIV is not checked, the state may face generation vacuum, besides severe economic and social problems", she pointed out.

" Complications in Nagaland are that the age of infection is low, rapid progression from HIV to AIDS is high and the age of death is low", she said.

Although Nagaland was successful in reducing infection amongst the Intra-venous Drug Users (IDU), infection through hetero-sexual mode has become alarming, she maintained. Unlike in other states of the country where HIV/AIDS infection was mostly amongst the poor people, but in Nagaland it was the middle class and well to-do who have been infected through drug abuse.

The NACO has made certain strategies to combat AIDS in Nagaland.

Maximum focus on youths by involving community bodies like the Village Council, Village Development Board, Churches, peer educators and Red Ribbon Clubs; focus on women mainstreaming HIV in all departments with village, apex tribal bodies like Hohos and churches as key partners, increased human resources like number of doctors and nurses, enhance number of treatment centres if need arises and through other multi-sectoral approach.

Nagaland Governor Shyamal Datta mooted the idea of setting up integrated health care delivery system to avoid stigma and discrimination against HIV/AIDS. He pointed out that the evolution of HIV/AIDS has become a political, international, civil societies and NGOs issues and asserted that there should be a will to prevent HIV/AIDS.

State Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced that a policy of HIV/AIDS would be brought out soon. He said the Government has streamlined HIV/AIDS as a part of its regular activities in all the departments, for which a State Level Co-ordination Committee has been set up. He called upon the legislators to strengthen the existing Health Care Centres and to mobilise resources from other sources and further asked them to take up personal responsibilities in their own areas.

UNI AS PC RD 1313