4,478 AIDS patients in Maha have abandoned treatment

PUNE: As India makes steady progress in its battle against HIV, it comes as a setback of sorts that a sizeable chunk of AIDS patients   in Maharashtra have given up on treatment after the initial few doses of medication. The state government says that despite its best efforts, these patients numbering 4,478 at last count have remained untraced, many of them for years.

Source: Times of India

Men having sex with men more prone to HIV

Anuradha Mascarenhas
Posted: Wed Dec 01 2010, 07:06 hrs
Pune:
While the rate of HIV prevalence is on the decline among pregnant women and female sex workers, experts say the high-risk group that is causing concern is that of men having sex with men (MSM)

Source: Indian Express

Phones don’t stop ringing at this helpline

Pune: The phones just don't stop ringing at the HIV/AIDS helpline, Samvad, which has handled 70,000 calls. The frequently asked questions include, "Am I at the risk of getting infected?", "Where can I get tested?", "Are condoms 100% safe?", "Is there life after HIV?" and "Where can I get free treatment?" And for many, one phone call has changed their life forever.

Source: Express News Service (ExpressIndia)

HIV-tainted girl in Sangli takes life ‘positively’

Published: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, 12:11 IST
By Nozia Sayyed | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

"I intend to become a journalist and a social worker, will you help me?" asked 17-year-old Meena from Sangli, who is HIV-positive and fighting for her right against social stigma for many years.

Source: DNA India

Awareness about HIV yes, but what of claims?

Published: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, 12:25 IST
By Ashish Jadhav | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

It has been over three years since a private complaint was filed in a city court against Siddharth Jondhale of Vazirabad, in Nanded district, for allegedly making false claims of curing HIV and AIDS patients. But the case has made hardly any headway.

Source: DNA India

Several events will mark World AIDS Day in the city on Wednesday.

PUNE: Several events will mark World AIDS Day in the city on Wednesday.

Source: Times of India

HIV+ couple in Pune set to tie the knot

Published: Wednesday, Dec 1, 2010, 12:20 IST
By Nozia Sayyed | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

Pune:   Mangala and Mangesh, both HIV-positive, found each other through an NGO and married on the occasion of World Aids Day on Wednesday in Pune.

Source: DNA

With 120 HIV infected inmates, Yerawada tops prisons in state

PUNE: In the cramped, often unhygienic conditions of the 29 central and district jails in the state where medical care is down to the basics, 467 inmates have tested positive for HIV infection in the last two years. Yerawada Central Jail in Pune has 120 HIV infected inmates, the highest in the state.

Source: Times Of India

Second line HIV drugs available in Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad

AIDS patients in Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad wont have to travel all the way to Mumbais J J Hospital as second line drugs for HIV will be made available in the cities soon.

Source: Indian Express