Imphal, June 15 2009: As the prevalence of HIV is increasing at alarming rate, the government of Manipur has requested the Union ministry of Health and Family Welfare to expedite in releasing the funds/schemes related with the control of the disease in the state through National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).

Manipur is one of the six high HIV prevalence states of the country.

As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS0-3, the HIV prevalence is 1.3 percent.

The data based on actual testing of 271,000 persons is much worse.

It showed a HIV prevalence of 11% in the state, a government source said.

Given the need for uninterrupted implementation of the HIV/AIDS control programme, government of Manipur has requested the National, AIDS Control Organization (NACO) to release the full amount for the current year, as a special case, the official source said.

NACO had released only Rs 4 crore during 2008-09 out of the approved action plan 2008-09 of Rs 26.27 crore.

In the meantime, the state government has also decided to the constituted District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit (DAPCU) at the district level.

The decision of the government is considering the rapid scale up of HIV intervention programme and as per NACO intimation on July 2008 for giving envisages in the establishment of control units at district level and intensifies the control measures.

To ensure appropriate management of the fund coming to DAPCU, a committee has to be constituted with deputy commissioner of each district as chairman and chief medical officer as vice-chairman.

Medical superintendent of district hospital of each district, district HIV/AIDS Control officer, and other related with health and control of HIV/AID at the district level will be the members.

While opening the DACPU, district AIDS officers (Manipur Health Service Grade-III) is all the districts as per cadre strength of MHS and their services will be utilized as district HIV/AIDS control officer, the source maintained.

Manipur ranks third highest as regarding the total number of HIV positive cases next to Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu states of the country.

The disease becomes a major public health problem in the state since 1990 .

HIV prevalence is highest among women whose spouses were employed in the transport industry.

In Manipur and Nagaland, HIV prevalence is the highest among women whose spouses are industry/factory workers.

Prevalence among injecting drug users is 8.71%; it is 5.69% among MSMs (in selected southern and northeastern states it has remained at an average of around 10% for the past few years) and 5.38% for female sex workers (FSWs).

In 2006, HIV prevalence among mothers attending antenatal clinics (a measure of HIV prevalence in the general population) is more than 1% in 118 districts.

Eighty-one districts have an HIV prevalence of more than 5% in one or more of the high risk groups.

The HIV epidemic in the north-eastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland continues unabated.

In 2006, HIV seropositivity among pregnant women was 1.39%, 1.36% and 0.94% in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram respectively.

Although HIV prevalence among IDUs in Manipur has declined over the years, all four IDU sentinel surveillance sites in Manipur still have HIV prevalence of more than 10%.In addition, HIV prevalence among sex workers appears to be increasing in Nagaland and Mizoram.

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