The Hindu Business Line : `Social vaccine is best bet against AIDS'

INNOCENT VICTIMS: Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director, UNAIDS, with HIV-infected children at Diya, a home for HIV-positive children at Freedom Foundation in Hyderabad, on Thursday. Andhra Pradesh is one of the hard-hit States. Among the 49 high-prevalence districts in India, seven are in Andhra Pradesh. - A. Roy Chowdhury

Hyderabad , Nov. 4

UNAIDS, a joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS, has said that a social vaccine rather than a vaccine far away can effectively tackle the disease.

Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, said that Government-sponsored large-scale social awareness campaign could arrest the spread of the disease that has assumed alarming proportions.

Dr Piot was in the city to participate in a series of meetings to see the state of affairs with regard to tackling HIV and AIDS.

He took part in videoconference with district-level officials and later witnessed the launch of a legislators' forum to fight the disease.

Dr Piot also said that the current domestic spending in India was not enough. "No country can depend on foreign aid for long in tackling the problem. The longer you wait, the bigger will the bill be."

According to him, both the Union and State Governments should significantly increase spending on this count. Calling for a holistic approach on the issue, he said that serious efforts here and there were not enough.

In the videoconference, Dr Piot asked the Collectors and other officials in the State to keep three basic principles in mind.

"We should see to it that those who are not affected should not get infected. In the case of those who were infected, we should see to it that they live longer and without being discriminated against. We should take care of orphaned children."

He added that all aspects of social activity should necessarily make the fight against AIDS an integral part. "We should deal with it, or it will deal with us."

Each and every agency or organisation should break the silence (on the disease) on every available platform.

Mr Mohan Kanda, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, asked the Collectors to chalk out a weeklong AIDS awareness campaign in the respective districts.

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