Nuns thrashed at AIDS awareness meet in Alibaug

Alibaug: A women’s gathering, organised in this coastal town on Saturday to spread AIDS awareness among adivasis, turned into a nightmare for two nuns from an NGO. Sister Mercy Tuscano and Sister Philomena D’Mello were assaulted by a mob of around 50 followers of a spiritual leader. The reason: the nuns were allegedly converting the adivasis to Christianity.

Archana Sharma for TNN

NACO stops funding for 438 NGOs for poor anti-AIDS performance

NEW DELHI: National AIDS Control Organisation has discontinued funding for as many as 438 NGOs after their performance in AIDS prevention programme was not found to be satisfactory.

PTI, from Economic Times.

Ignou to launch HIV study programmes

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University is going to launch several courses and formal study programmes on social work and HIV/AIDS, masters in social work (MSW) from July 2008. Besides, a PG diploma in social work may also be launched from January 2009.

From Times of India.

Aware of HIV but few in rural areas go for tests

Pune, February 10: Even though India is among the nations having the highest number of AIDS cases in the world, very few women in its rural backyard go for an Elisa test during pregnancy to detect the deadly HIV virus. In fact, very few women are even aware of the existence of voluntary counselling and testing facilities, despite a Government policy to expand ante-natal HIV screening and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV virus.

From Indian Express.

“Women can nullify marriage if husband affected with AIDS”

New Delhi: If an AIDS affected person marries while concealing his disease, his wife shall have full right to get her Nikah annulled, declared Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA).

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter. Original story here.

Copy of the Memorandum submittd to the Indian Prime Minister by the Coalition for AIDS Treatment Access (CATA) on 22 February

Memorandum respectfully submitted to the Honorable Prime Minister of Indian, Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on 22 February 2008 by Coalition for AIDS Treatment Access (CATA) and HIV/AIDS activists in India.

Source: AIDS INDIA e-FORUM

Centre asks states to give condoms to prisoners

KOLKATA, Feb. 23: The Union home ministry has requested directors-general (prison) of all states to distribute condoms among HIV-infected inmates of major correctional homes to stop the growth of HIV population in correctional homes.

Rajib Chatterjee, for The Statesman.

Under fire, Mumbai AIDS project head quits, declines Sion Hospital dean’s job

Mumbai, February 22 Scathing remarks from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) on the management of the HIV spread in Mumbai has led to the resignation of the head of the city’s AIDS project on Friday. Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) project director Dr Nirupa Borges, who submitted her resignation, has also refused to take over as dean of the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion — the new post offered to her.

From Indian Express.

Hospital sued for wrong HIV report

CHENNAI: A leading private hospital in Adyar was sued for allegedly wrongly certifying a cook as having tested positive for HIV.

T S Sekaran, from newindpress.com