Tracey Hayes, representing the Global Health Council, described the plight of AIDS and HIV victims in India in Collis Wednesday.Four million Indians have HIV. Hayes said while this number may be a small percentage of India's population, it is large in absolute terms. She also pointed out that 300,000 people were infected with the virus in 2002. She added that in India, where 1 billion people live in an area that is one-third of the size of the United States, population density is a big part of the problem.
Hayes said that the closed nature of India's society contributes to the problem.
"Discussion of reproductive health is a very sensitive issue [in India]" Hayes said.
Hayes also pointed out that in India, as in many other places around the world, there is a major stigma attached to AIDS. Hayes talked about her visit to an AIDS clinic in Hyderabad.
"Every woman that I met [there] was going through the same thing," Hayes said. According to Hayes, when a woman in India gets married, she traditionally goes to live with her husband's family. The husband usually spreads the virus to the wife, the husband dies and the wife gets kicked out of the husband's household. The wife's family would not take her back because she would bring shame upon the family, so the infected wife has nowhere to go except for clinics.
Hayes also discussed the condition of infected children. Infected children in India are not allowed to go to public school. Hayes lauded free schools that were set up specifically for HIV-positive children but said that there should be many more of them. Additionally, she mentioned that this policy is one reason families with the illness are often not open about it and do not seek treatment.
Hayes highlighted the importance of preventing mother to child transmission. She said that cheap, anti-retro-viral medications that are used on a one-time basis should be made readily available: "One dollar can save a child from contracting the virus," Hayes said.
India needs more AIDS clinics, according to Hayes. She showed the audience a picture of one man who had to take a day-long train ride to the Hyderabad clinic while he was sick because it was the closest clinic available.
Hayes also noted other problems in India's health systems. She stressed the importance of cheap testing methods and AIDS education for doctors. Hayes also mentioned that people who seek testing or treatment are often taken advantage of and cheated.
Hayes pointed to several problems that compound the problem in India. So many languages are spoken in the country that it impedes communication. Also, the sex workers that cater to truck-drivers on major routes are a problem, she said.
AIDS is a global pandemic affecting 60 million people worldwide, including 2.5 million children.
