Imphal, December 02 2008: ROLL-OUT of the second line ART drug to the HIV-positive people in Manipur have been launched today, on the occasion of "The World AIDS Day".

With the launching of the second ART drug today, Manipur has become the fifth state of the country which roll-out the drugs to the people living with HIV/AIDS free of cost, official said.

The National AIDS Control Board (NACB) started dispensing second-line ART (antiretroviral therapy) drugs free to HIV patients in designated medical centres in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata, from September this year.

Manipur have approximately 200 patients who needed second line ARV drug administration.

The number is out of around 5000 people who were currently administering the first line ART.

Among them some of them are using the drug with their own expenses.

The roll-out of second line ARV drugs in the state is a long pending demand of the NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS.

Even though second line ART drug had already arrived in the state few months back, the same could not be roll out to the HIV-positive of the state as there is no Viral Load Testing Centre in Manipur.

State government had in many occasions announced of availing the benefits of second line ART drug to the patients since the last year after the Union minister for health had announced availing the same in Manipur too.

But the same could not be converted into work till date even though Chennai's Tambaram ART centre had provided ARV drug for second line ART treatment for as many as 20 patients.

Manipur, a small state with a population of 25 lakh people in Northeast India is well known as the hotbed of HIV/AIDS.

According to epidemiological data released by MACS, as of May 2008, the cumulative figure of persons living with HIV is 29,602 .

Of this total, one-third are women, more than 5,000 on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) drugs, 200 lining up for second line ART drugs, 1.3 per cent of general population estimated infections.

Four per cent of pregnant women in one of its districts Ukhrul are HIV infected.

Many stories of young widows and orphans are still hidden.

Apart from this, persons aged between 21 and 30 are at the highest risk, forming 43.10 per cent of the total persons living with HIV in the state.

Like in other part of the globe, in Manipur too, "The World AIDS Day" was observed by various NGOs working in the field in collaboration with the state government agencies like the Manipur AIDS Control Society, MACS and its branches.

A state level function to observe the day at the government level was also held at 1st Manipur Rifles Parade Ground with Manipur chef minister O Ibobi Singh announced the formal roll-out of the second ART drug in the state.

Speaking on the occasion, he also called for a need of concerted effort of the people and NGOs to fight with the dreaded disease. The story of HIV in Manipur dates back to 1990, when the first report of infection came from among the drug users using injections.

Now, the epidemic has turned 20 years in the state, he said.

According to the officials of the MACS responsible for organizing the observation function, out of every 1000 pregnant women, 13 are HIV positive.

It means that for every 50,000 pregnancies in the state in a year, 650 are HIV infected mothers.

Manipur will have around 200 HIV infected newborns every year, they said adding that if the trend continues, "let us visualize how much of our young population will survive after 50 years from now.

In the course of the next 50 years, there will be only elder persons and small babies in most households in Manipur".

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