Source: Manipur Mail
Imphal, December 05:
The Governor of Manipur Ved Marwah at the inaugural function of a workshop on injecting drug use and HIV/ AIDS in the NE region said he is happy to know that Manipur is one of the first state's in India to have initiated harm reducing programmes like needle and syringe exchange programmes for injecting drug users from the early 1990 and also to have a state policy on HIV/AIDS and that it is the first state in India where government has taken the initiative of implementing innovative programmes like Rapid Intervention and Care project targeting injecting drug users.
Currently 114 countries have reported HIV infection among drug injectors.
Injecting drug abuse is the main or a major mode of transmission of HIV infection in many countries of Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America he said.
In 1998, 136 countries reported the existence of injecting drug abuse.
This is a significant increase as compared to 1992, when 80 countries reported such abuse.
This illustrates a worrying trend for diffusion of injecting into an increasing number of developing countries and countries in economic transition, where previously such behavior was often virtually unknown he said.
The HIV sero-prevalence rate among the injecting drug users in Manipur which was 80.19% in 1997 came down below 60% in 2001.This was possible because of the increased level of awareness among the young people.
The sero prevalence rate among IDUs in Manipur is still one of the highest in the world.
The HIV sero-prevalence among pregnant women is increasing steadily he pointed out.