Nepal to miss AIDS target
Useful Links
» A new way to read online, exact replica of your daily and magazine
» For all you tweety fans out there!
» Allows you to find only those news from any date you choose!
» Search any news/ articles by author/ category/ date/ keyword
KATHMANDU, DEC 01 -
Despite success in scaling down the HIV prevalence rate, Nepal seems to miss the universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care by 2010.
Activists working in the field of HIV/AIDS said that although the government and the donor agencies have invested millions of rupees in this sector, Nepal is sure to miss the target.
Speaking at a programme to mark the 22nd World AIDS Day on Wednesday, they said more than half of the Injecting Drug Users (IDU) and 75 percent of the HIV infected are beyond the service of treatment and care.
“To meet the target, 80 percent of IDUs and the HIV infected should have access to the services by this Dec.,” said Anan Pun, president of Recovering Nepal. “But with just 30 days in hand, achieving the goal is impossible.”
According to Pun, of the total 28,000 IDUs in Nepal, around 12,000 have access to Needle Syringe Exchange Programme, while 1,500 are getting Oral Substitute Therapy. “Those who are out of these facilitates are highly vulnerable to HIV,” Pun added. At a time when 80 percent of the 64,000 HIV positive had to be in service, only 6,700 have access to Anti-Retroviral Treatment. Those who have less than 250 cells per cubic millimetre of blood are getting the treatment.
According to the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, there are 35 antiretroviral centres across the country. Similarly, 196 centres are providing VCT services, while 21 hospitals have been providing services for the prevention of mother to child transmission.
Though the overall transmission in Nepal has decreased by some 20 percent in the last decade, mother to child transmission has been increased by 46 percent during the same period. Presently, of the total 2,100 HIV positive children, 200 are getting treatment.
Posted on: 2010-12-01 09:02
Post Your Comment