INC gets $33m world funding to fight AIDS

The Indian Nursing Council (INC) will soon get $33 million from the Global Fund to impart focussed training to one lakh nurses in the treatment of HIV/AIDS affected patients in the country.

From Deccan Herald.

HIV on the rise among gays

Prevalence of the disease highest in larger cities, rural areas also catching up fast

NEW DELHI: With gay sex on a steady rise in big cities, the HIV-infected population too is growing fast. Almost 11.5% of the estimated 50 million gay population in India was infected by the deadly virus, with men in Pune and Bangalore being its biggest victims.

P Vineeta, from DNA

South India is not faring any better

Mumbai: It's not just the Mumbai-based NGOs that are getting the stick. Several groups in South India, which aim  to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS, are facing flak for not practising what they preach.

Source: DNA, reprinted at Indiainfo

Wake Up Pune @ I2IT

Wake up Pune set up camp for two eye opening fun-filled days at the International Institute of Information Technology (I2IT) campus, becoming a focus event at the Dhruva 2008 talent festival.



Full report

Ensuring blood safety

With transfusion transmitted infections touching dangerous levels, blood safety has become one of the major health concerns today. The appalling fact is that it is the patients who fall prey to these diseases. The patients are more vulnerable to HIV, hepatitis B and C, which get easily transmitted through blood.

S Senthalir for Deccan Herald

350 NGOs sacked in mega Naco clean-up

New Delhi: The National AIDS Control Organization (Naco) has discontinued almost 450 of its intervention programmes and sacked 350 non-government organizations (NGOs) as part of a massive clean-up and crackdown on non-performing partners in India’s battle against the disease.

Bhuma Shrivastava for livemint.com

‘Unprotected sex OK for some with HIV’

 GENEVA: Swiss AIDS experts said on Thursday that some people with HIV who are on stable treatment can safely have unprotected sex with non-infected partners.

From Times of India

New plan for HIV marriage tests

A committee set up by the Indian state of Maharashtra has provisionally approved the mandatory HIV testing of couples before marriage.

From BBC News

Gilead patent case to help Indian firms

NEW DELHI: The US Patent & Trademark Office's rejection of four patents held by Gilead Sciences on a key HIV drug Tenofovir, paves the way for a more affordable treatment for millions of patients suffering from AIDS.

From Times of India