• Positive news for HIV
  Cancer cures also to hurt less
  The Budget proposed to slash customs duty on 10 anti - HIV and 14 anti - cancer drugs and the kits from 15 % to 5%. These life savers will now be exempted from excise duty and countervailing duty, greatly helping the afflicted middle and lower classes. The total allocation to health ministry has also been increased from Rs 9, 676 crore to Rs 12, 546 crore. Funding for the National AIDS Control Programme has been raised from Rs 476 crore to Rs 636 crore.

  - The Times of India, Wednesday, March 1 2006

  
  
•    Govt to treat 100,000 AIDS patients for free
  
  
  Government will increase the number of people getting free anti-aids treatment to 100,000 patients in next three-four months and launch a campaign to spread awareness on the facilities being provided in the public sector hospitals, a top official said.
  However, the challenge was to provide second line of AIDS treatment to five per cent of patients who are resistant to the first line of drugs in India, she said. Currently, second line of drugs is not being provided at the public sector hospitals.

  "Currently 26,000 AIDS patients are getting free treatment at public sector hospitals and centres," Sujatha Rao, project director of the National AIDS Control Organisation said.

  — Press Trust of India Sunday, February 19, 2006

  
  
  
• TRC to develop MVA-II
  
  
  "The Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai is going to develop a Modified Vaccine Ankara-II (MVA) to protect people who were not infected with HIV from contracting HIV/AIDS, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said today.

  Dedicating the HIV Vaccine trial centre at TRC here, he said the trial was initiated already towards developing MVA. He said the vaccine consists of a recombinant MVA targeting HIV-I subtype C, the most predominant HIV subtype in India, he added.

  He said already the Pune laboratory had developed another vaccine for HIV/AIDS 'Adino Associated Vaccine' and the first clinical trial of this vaccine had been successfully completed.

  
  —UNI, Chennai, February 26, 2006



• Health education must be included in school syllabus

Stressing the importance of health education in schools, Union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister, Vayalar Ravi, today suggested that the subject be included in school syllabi.

Inauaugrating a "conclave on HIV/AIDS", organised jointly by the Kerala Memorial Journalists' Trust and the Kerala State AIDS Control Society here, he said the State Government should take initiatives to teach the topic for at least one period in a week.

The Minister said the Government should ask doctors to take lessons in schools. This would not only help students gain anatomical knowledge but also clear their doubts, which would ultimately help them to be aware of the dangers of AIDS.

The Right of Patients Act, Prevalent in foreign countries should be implemented in India also, he suggested. Pointing out that 57 per cent of AIDS cases reported in Kerala were in rural areas, the Minister said more thrust should be given to villages to check the dreaded disease.

Voluntary organisations, particularly women organisations should be entrusted with the work, as they could go to womenfolk and convince them. Intervention by the Government, NGOs, the community and faith-based organisations were necessary to convince the public about the dangers of the AIDS, he said, adding the last named could be more effective.

— The Hindu, Sunday, February 26, 2006

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