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

HIV/AIDS awareness campaign scrapped

BANGALORE: The State Governments decision to not introduce "sex education" in schools has brought to a halt HIV/AIDS awareness programme in thousands of government and aided high schools throughout the State.

From The Hindu

World Bank ‘uncovers India fraud’

The World Bank has said it has uncovered "serious incidents of fraud and corruption" in a review of five health projects it has backed in India.

From BBC News

Circumcision ‘does not curb sex’

Circumcision does not reduce sexual satisfaction and so there should be no reservations about using this method as a way to combat HIV, a study says.

From BBC News

Wake Up Pune given award by UNAIDS

The Wake Up Pune campaign has been given an award by UNAIDS India for the activities arranged on World AIDS Day – 1 December 2007.

Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make the day such a success.

The …