Seventy HIV positive children, as well as those who have lost their parents to the dreaded disease, showed their creative side by enthusiastically participating in different competitions organised by UP Network for HIV positive people and UP State AIDS Control Society, on the occasion of World Orphans Day, on Friday. In painting competition, Ankita, Anchal and Adarsh secured first, second and third position, respectively. In singing competition, Shikha, Nikhil and Anchal secured first, second and third position, respectively. The children also participated in quiz competition. Assistant District AIDS Control Programme Officer Dr SAM Meesum and Medical Officer, Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) centre distributed prizes to the winners of different competitions. All the children who had participated in one or the other competition also received consolation prize. On the occasion, Dr Meesum said different programmes should be organised for HIV positive children and those who have lost their parents to HIV, so that they do not feel secluded from the society. UPNP+ founder president Naresh Yadav said the children had come from Pratapgarh and Kaushambi, besides Allahabad for participating in the programme. This is for the first time, a programme for these kids have been organised on World Orphan Day, he added. [...]

Scientists are a step closer to understanding why some people with HIV develop full-blown AIDS, and others don’t. Researchers in Massachusetts and California say that the answer lies in how the immune cells that recognize invaders are educated – a finding that may pave the way for new strategies for designing an HIV vaccine. The human immune system detects foreign cells with the help of cell-surface proteins called human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). Each person’s cells carry a particular set of HLA molecules – the person’s HLA type – which bind fragments of virus or bacterial protein and ”present” them to T cells, the immune cells that recognize and attack infected cells. But before T cells are ready to perform their killer function, they are in effect trained on fragments of the body’s own proteins – self-peptides – in an organ called the thymus. To ”graduate” from the thymus, a T cell must be able to recognize at least one combination of HLA molecule and self-peptide, which provides the template for its subsequent immune response against a foreign peptide bound to that HLA molecule. T cells that bind to self-peptides very strongly, however, are rejected, as they would attack the body’s [...]

End Of Vaccination Took Away Protection From HIV, Say Researchers Washington: The end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century could be responsible for a loss of protection that led to the rapid spread of HIV, according to researchers. It is known that vaccinia immunization, as given to prevent the spread of smallpox, reduces HIV replication in the laboratory. Raymond Weinstein, a scientist at George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia, US, in collaboration with a team from George Washington University and UCLA to look at the ability of white blood cells taken from people recently immunized with vaccinia to support HIV replication compared to unvaccinated controls. To test if smallpox jab interferes with how well HIV multiplies, researchers looked at the white blood cells taken from people recently immunised against smallpox and tested how they responded to HIV. They found significantly lower replication rates of HIV in blood cells from vaccinated individuals, compared with those from unvaccinated controls. The smallpox vaccine appeared to cut HIV replication five-fold. “There have been several proposed explanations for the rapid spread of HIV in Africa, including wars, the reuse of unsterilized needles and the contamination of early batches of polio vaccine. However, all of these [...]

LUDHIANA: After working on the oral substitution therapy, the National Aids Control Organization (NACO) will set up a community care centre for HIV patients in the city, the third such in the state. According to information, two community care centres for HIV patients are already functioning in Patiala and Amritsar, respectively. Talking to TOI on Saturday, an official of the health department said, “The project will be in joint collaboration with Red Cross as it has received grants of Rs 21.5 lakh for the project. The centre will include 10 beds for HIV patients.” He said the centre would motivate chronic patients whose families fail to support them in terms of treatment, besides giving them adequate diet. The official said work had already kicked off and the community care centre would open in the Red Cross building near Civil Hospital. He said a doctor, counsellor, three nurses, four outreach health workers, one part-time lab technician, along with a project coordinator and dietician had been appointed for the job. Notably, NACO is working on the oral substitution therapy for intravenous drug users so as to control incidence of HIV and for this, work on opening the drug addiction centre is going [...]

In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games (CWG), the Delhi AIDS Control Society has planned to install 150 condom vending machines at various public places. While some machines will be in the Games’s Village and inside the stadiums, there will be machines installed at malls, markets, hotels and even paan shops. “We are ready with the machines and now waiting for the approval from the CWG authorities, hotels and malls across Delhi to install them,” says an official from the National Aids Control Organisation. HT City asked hotels and malls about their reaction. Many chose to remain quiet, but a few welcomed the idea. “We are comfortable with such an implementation, but we need to figure out a certain way so that it gels well with the aesthetics of our hotel,” says Javed Ali, VP and General Manager, Radisson Hotel, Delhi. “We can place these machines in the washrooms,” says a spokesperson from the Select Citywalk mall. Paanwallas in the city will be asked to stock condom packets, too. These will cost Rs 3 apiece. “If it becomes a rule, then we have to keep condoms in our shop. Also, it’s a good way to control population. So why not?” [...]

After years of providing treatment, care and support for HIV/AIDS among high risk groups like truckers, commercial sex workers, injectable drug users and transgenders, the government is suddenly faced with a new challenge — the increasing incidence of HIV among youth, possibly due to unsafe casual sex. Concerned by the trend, the Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society (TNSACS) is organising a youth carnival to create awareness and promote safe sex. The state has been boasting about a decline of infection in the population, but those working in the HIV/AIDS sector fear that there is an increase in the incidence of the disease. A recent analysis undertaken by TNSACS has shown that the profiles of the newly infected people were not from the high risk groups. “Instead they were housewives, single working people and students. We also did a study on usage of condoms among youth. That’s when we found that many have occasional unprotected intercourse with multiple partners,” said Dr. S.Thennarasu, the regional coordinator. Other senior officals in TNSAC confirmed the trend. “The infection rate is high only within the age-group of 15-29 years. Today, casual sex has a fair amount of social acceptance. Mobility amidst both sexes is [...]

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) Monday launched the Condom Social Marketing Programme (CSMP), under the third phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP-III), targeting sales of 47 crore condoms across 370 districts of the country. The CSMP will focus on increasing condom availability, particularly in rural areas as well as in non-traditional outlets like grocery shops, roadside eateries, auto/taxi workshops, barber shops etc. ‘Out of the total 8 lakh outlets proposed to be covered in this phase, 5 lakh will be non-traditional outlets with 4.45 lakh in the rural areas. If it (condom) is readily available then the consistent usage could be tackled,’ Aradhana Johri, NACO joint secretary, said. In this phase, distribution of female condoms is also planned in selected areas and states. Players attending the Commonwealth Games (CWG) as well as people accompanying them will also be handed free condoms. ‘Talks for installing condom vending machines and free distribution of condoms during the games are going on with the authorities concerned,’ NACO Director General K. Chandramouli told IANS. According to Johri, major sections needing scaled up intervention are truckers and migrants and more effort will be put in this phase for these sections. ‘We are also [...]

It is a Sunday morning. Outside Hyderabad, at a Rajasthani-style resort named Dhola-ri-dhani, close to 500 men have gathered.  The younger among them seem to be in their 20s, the seniors in their 60s. They speak softly, but warmly to each other. Many of them know each other through previous secret meetings but if they were to meet outside, they would not acknowledge that. It would be as though they have never met before. But here they are at peace in a gathering where they can be themselves. The technical term used to describe them is MSM: Men Who Have Sex with Men.  The group gathered here has bisexuals, homosexuals, and transgendered individuals.  There are cross-dressers too, conspicuous with their elaborate hair-dos and bright outfits and what appear to be deliberately feminine mannerisms. The meeting has been organized by the Andhra Pradesh AIDS Control Society and local NGOs who want to build a greater support system for the 60,000 men in Andhra Pradesh who have sex with other men.  There is a sense of urgency.  HIV is shooting up in the community – from 9 to 11% in the last two years. Vivek tested positive for HIV in 2003.  His [...]

Mobile phones may be a key weapon in the war against HIV and AIDS in Africa, says to the UNAIDS chief. The relatively new technology has a role to play in a continent plagued by inadequate health centres and dilapidated infrastructure, said Michel Sidibe, the executive director of the United Nations AIDS agency. “You can talk about different policies, about capacity building, but you can’t beat this kind of epidemic with facility-based approach only,” he added. A major mobile telephone operator in Nigeria already runs a toll-free call scheme that links callers to counsellors on HIV-AIDS concerns. “It’s a fascinating initiative,” said Sidibe. “Its advantage is that you don’t have to move from your place to a centre where… you may be stigmatised. “You have free communication and quality advice, which can help you take a decision.” With basic intensive training and armed with mobile phones, local community or village workers could be a part of the health service delivery system, he said. For despite the resources poured in years into Sub-Saharan Africa to combat HIV-AIDS, the region remains the world’s most heavily affected, accounting for 67 per cent of HIV infections, according to UNAIDS’ own figures. “You need first [...]