Imphal, November 30: The first case of HIV infection in Manipur was detected in the year 1990.But within a span of 16 years, HIV/AIDS has assumed gigantic proportion threatening the very survival of human society of this tiny hill-locked State.

Though considered earlier as a disease associated only with Injecting Drug Users and promiscuous persons, the virus is today spreading fast among the general population without any differentiation between rich and poor, urban and rural or hill and plain.

According to the latest epidemiological analysis of HIV/AIDS in Manipur released by Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS) ahead of the World AIDS Day tomorrow, the number of HIV positive in Manipur has reached 24,410 including 5,491 females and the number of persons who died from AIDS is 3,891 till October this year.

This official figure may only be the tip of the iceberg as there might be many unreported cases.

Under the guidelines of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), MACS and its associated Non-Governmental Organisations have been organising awareness programme among the people on the issue of HIV/AIDS and its social implications.

But how far these programmes have been successful in containing the problem is questionable with the emergence of a new generation of young widows and orphans.

'The direction which we have been taking needs to be analysed seriously', said former Deputy Director of MACS and exconsultant of NACO Dr Khomdon Lisam.

He said with the problem of HIV/AIDS now being linked closely with the question of survival and saving the future generation, there is the need to encompass more areas which were earlier thought to safe zones and impenetrable by HIV.

Maintaining that the work being taken up by MACS and other NGOs is not enough, Dr Khomdon pointed out the need for a political commitment on the part of the Government in fighting the spread of the virus.

He suggested that along with setting up a Legislators' Forum, that too immediately, with elected representatives, both from in the Opposition and the Ruling, as members, the Government should also earmark atleast some fund in the State budget just to show the much needed political commitment to the cause.

Streamlining of Government machineries for collective involvement is another area which need to be studied seriously, he further said.

Dr Khomdon also stressed on the need to step up the outreach programme to reach out to school children besides including the topics of HIV/AIDS in the school syllabus.

One area that has always been overlooked in the ongoing targeted intervention (TI) programme of fighting HIV/AIDS is the absence of any specific programmes and policy for the spouses of the High Risk Groups (HRG).

'Though the emphasis has been given all along on HRGs like Commercial Sex Workers (CSWs) and Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), so far there has been no specific TI programme for the spouses of HRGs who are in fact more vulnerable,' social activist Annie Mangsatabam pointed out.

'Just as the number of HIV/AIDS cases among the IDUs has been brought down through specific TI programme for them, similar TI programme for their spouses is required', she said, adding it is on account of this that we see more and more innocent women unwittingly becoming victims of HIV/AIDS.

'Along with the TI programme, there is also the urgency for taking up and implementing some programmes and policies to rehabilitate and empower spouses of HRGs specially young widows financially.

Side by side, the ongoing preventive programmes should be scaled-up', Annie said, while expressing hope that some of these inadequacies might be resolved with the implementation of 3rd phase of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP).

The problem of HIV/AIDS and social stigma and discrimination attached to the infected/affected patients is still very much present despite relentless sensitisation campaign being launched, and it is all the more so in far flung areas.

With the stage set for the observance of World AIDS Day tomorrow, it calls for collective responsibility on the part of each and every one in the society to Keep the Promise to Stop AIDS and make Manipur an AIDS free State.

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