Imphal, December 07 2008: MANIPUR IS increasingly facing stumbling blocks on its way to help prevent and control the spread of AIDS in the state.

Lack of funds, unawareness of the mass on the spread and prevention of the disease, the ever increasing number of people infected with the disease including the stigmas and discriminations, have stood in the way of the prevention of the disease.

Manipur has reportedly 30,000 recorded cases of HIV positives till September 2008, an addition of about 619 cases from the reported record of 29,381 in April last.

i.e.about a little over 100 cases addition every month.

(As per reports, the number of AIDS case in 4,185 with a recorded death of 605.) This high rate of increase of the disease supported by the lack of awareness of the spread has added to the spread of the disease thus becoming a stumbling block for the state government to prevent the spread.

Recently, on the occasion of the World AIDS Day observed in Imphal state governor Gurbachan Jagat alarmed that preventing the bulk of the youths of the state from falling prey to the dreaded disease was a big challenge the state was faced with.

The governor also held it a matter of socio-economic and developmental concern while pointing out that, though it could affect anyone, it was often the poor, the youth and the women in distress who are most vulnerable.

Thus, with the aim to control the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state various voluntary NGOs have been set up in the state.

However, these NGOs have been facing problem due to the lack of funds especially due to the non-release of funds by the Manipur AIDS Control Society (MACS).

Reportedly, MACS has not released funds for the NGOs since April last thus causing a problem to the NGOs who are fighting against the spread of the disease in the state.

In this connection, the All Manipur NGO Partners Consortium on HIV/AIDS, an apex body of about 65 NGOs had staged a sit-in-protest on September 18 demanding the release of funds by MACS and the concern authority.

On the occasion of the World AIDS Day, the chief minister also held it unfortunate that MACS had stop releasing funds as the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) had stopped funding since the past 4-5 months.

This lack of fund also stands as a stumbling block in the implementation of the Parents to Child Transmission (PPTCT) programme, a programme through which the disease can be prevented from transmitting from the infected mother to the child in the womb.

However, the lack of fund has reportedly become a stumbling block in the implementation of this programme.

And even as the state had to fight off such problems, there is the problem of stigma and discrimination against People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA).

PLHA are usually seen by the common people as persons of bad moral character or drug users, thus a feeling of segregation and loneliness due to negligence by the people.

This in turn affects the psychological behaviour of the PLHA thus creating more problems.

However, the state government is doing it can to over such blocks and aware the state of the dreaded disease.

There are reportedly 54 centres in the state for HIV testing including seven centres for the distribution of Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART).

Apart from these steps, the state government and the various NGOs of the state have taken up various steps such as campaigns and ads to aware the people of the spread of the disease.

But only time can tell what becomes of these campaigns and the changes it can bring on the people.

Till then, stumbling blocks are bound to remain.

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