Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 22 2009:
The HIV infection rate among the female sex workers(FSWs) and Men having sex with Men(MSM) are comparatively increasing though it has reduced among the Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) in Manipur.
According to Manipur State AIDS control society's latest sentinel surveillance reports,Manipur with as many as 25,655 HIV positive cases,has become the one of the Indian State having very high HIV prevalence among female sex workers(12.9 percent).
In 2006, the rate was just 11.6 percent.
Similarly the prevalence rate of MSM has rose to 16.4 in 2007.But it was 12.4 percent in 2006 .
"We've seen such trend in some parts of state", Dr Kh Pramodkumar, Project Director (Technical) of Manipur State AIDS control society said during a media workshop here.
The increasing trend of MSM was seen in Imphal west district while FSWs cases in Manipur's Churachandpur,he added.The new Project Director Pradeep Kumar Jha of MSACS while speaking on overall analysis of HIC/AIDS issue in Manipur during the interaction session sought support from the media while covering 80 percent of the state's population under National AIDS control program III which is being implemented in the region.
In this new program,National AIDS Control Organization is trying to focus more on the district level activities than the state by instituting district AIDS control units.
Such district units were formed in Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland as the epidemic continues unabated in these states.
Some NGO leaders and media persons in the gathering want the government to review the state's 13 years old state AIDS policy to accommodate the present requirements.
The state officials also assured that they would take up further course of action once the recommendation on the policy is being discussed in the upcoming gathering with active participation of the different faces of the society.
Irengbam Arun, editor Ereibak daily and K Sarojkumar Sharma, Imphal correspondent of Times of India also spoke on role of media in reporting the issue of HIV/AIDS and issues and challenges faced by the media in reporting issues on HIV/AIDS.
Dr N Shyamjai,Deputy Director of the state AIDS control unit also attended the interaction session.