The 36th National conference of Indian Association for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IASSTD) and AIDS – ASTICON will be held at Kochin in November 2012. The organising Chairman, Dr AD Dharmaratnam, in an interview with AD Pradeep Kumar talks about the general preparedness of hospitals in India in tackling AIDS, the steps needed by government to tackle AIDS and also gives an overview of ASTICON 2012. Dr Dharmaratnam is the Foundation Fellow of Asian Academy of Dermatology & Venerology – 2010, Past Vice President of All India Association of Dermatologists, Venerologists and Leprologists, 1986 and Past General Secretary of All India Association of Dermatologists,Venerologists and Leprologists, 1984 &1985.
What is the general preparedness of hospitals in India to tackle AIDS/ HIV?
India has a National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in place since 1987. With its first two phases already successfully over, NACP is currently in its IIIrd phase . The country is well on its way to halt and reverse the epidemic in India over the next five years. At the hospital level, there is a high degree of awareness about universal precautions wile handling blood and biological fluids. The affordability and widespread free availability of Anti Retroviral Therapy has empowered Indian doctors to manage the disease just like other lifelong diseases such as diabetes.
What more needs to be done from the hospitals and from the Govt’s side?
- Prevent infections through better coverage of high-risk groups with targeted interventions
- Provide greater care, support and treatment to large number of People Living with HIV/ AIDS (PLHA).
- Strengthen the infrastructure, systems and human resources
The specific objective is to reduce the rate of incidence by 60 per cent in the first year of the programme in high prevalence states to obtain the reversal of the epidemic, and by 40 per cent in the vulnerable states to stabilise the epidemic.
What are your views on the global scenario of HIV/ AIDS?- Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 60 million people have contracted HIV and nearly 30 million have died of HIV-related causes.
- More than 34 million people live with HIV/AIDS today.
- Every day nearly 7,000 people contract HIV—nearly 300 every hour.
- In 2011, 1.7 million people died from AIDS.
- More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of all people living with HIV, live in sub-Saharan Africa—including 91 per cent of the world’s HIV-positive children. An estimated 1.2 million adults and children died of AIDS in this region, accounting for 71 per cent of the world’s AIDS deaths in 2011.
What are your comments on the Indian scenario?
Despite being a country with low HIV prevalence (0.31 per cent), India has the third largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world (24 lakh), after S Africa and Nigeria. India has also been praised for its extensive anti-AIDS campaign. The spread of HIV in India is primarily restricted to the southern and north-eastern regions of the country. The main factors which have contributed to India's large HIV-infected population are extensive labour migration and low literacy levels in certain rural areas resulting in lack of awareness and gender disparity. Female sex workers are most at risk of contracting HIV in India. However, there is increased condom use by men who visit sex workers. There are concerns about the role of intravenous drug use in spreading AIDS, especially in north-east India and certain urban pockets.
What are your views on ASTICON 2012 – aims and objectives?
The theme of this year’s conference is “Past, present and future of STD’s and AIDS”. With declining numbers of STD and HIV, there is a tendency on the part of the younger generation of medical professionals to overlook them during and after their training. ASTICON 2012 aims to bridge this gap by bringing in senior faculty both to recount their experiences as well as learn about the future projections.
What are the novel features of ASTICON this year?
Novel features this year are the STD/ AIDS Quiz for Post Graduates and a large number of panel discussions to stimulate interest among the audience. An All India Essay Competition for Medical (UG & PG) Students on the topic “Removal of social stigma on STD & AIDS” is another unique feature this year, with attractive cash prizes. An award paper session to adjudge the best six scientific papers will be conducted during the conference.
What is the expected participation for the event this year ?
More than 300 doctors are expected from all parts of India. Over 40 faculty members have confirmed their participation. They are experts in the field of STD & HIV medicine, general medicine, gynaecology, paediatrics, lab sciences, psychiatry and sexual medicine. The Chief Minister of Kerala, and several central and state ministers will be attending. Prominent film and religious personalities will be interacting with the lay public to spread the message of STD & AIDS prevention.
Can you please brief us on the evolution of ASTICON?
ASTICON is the Annual National conference of IASSTD & AIDS (Indian Assn for the Study of STD & AIDS). Dr.C.N.Sowmini, the then Director of the Institute of Venereology, Madras Medical College, Chennai, who, with the co-operation of a handful of committed workers, founded the Indian Association for the Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IASSTD) in the year 1975. The First Conference of IASSTD was held at Madras (now Chennai) in the presence of Dr.R.V.Rajam, the Doyen of Indian Venereology. Annual National Conferences of IASSTD are being organized in different parts of India and the 36th National Conference is now at Kochi. The Annual National Conference of IASSTD held at Calcutta in 1993 received the blessings of Mother Theresa in person.
What are the major activities of IASSTD and the role it plays in controlling AIDS in India?
IASSTD & AIDS has co-ordinated and assisted the activities not only of physicians practising in the subject and other related subjects but also epidemiologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, public health nurses, social workers and all concerned with human behaviour and its effects on the spread of STDs and HIV /AIDS.
IASSTD & AIDS collected and distributed information concerning methods for the prevention and control of STDs with a view to eliminating these diseases as public health problems throughout India.
It has stimulated research in the medical, serological and psychosocial aspects of STDs and compiled information on the trends of incidence of the STDs throughout India.
It has organized regular seminars and other clinical meetings and co-operated with other international organisations to study the problems relating to control of STDs and HIV /AIDS.
Though STD control is the main responsibility of the government, the association has co-operated with the government and non-government organisations who are actively involved in the control of STDs including HIV / AIDS and also in the management of STD and HIV /AIDS patients, screening of population at risk and education of the public, specially the target groups like students, commercial sex workers, industrial workers, lorry drivers etc. The association seeks the help of the government, whenever it undertakes any STD programmes.
Members of the association meet once a year in different parts of India for holding the national conference. The resolutions passed for the control of STDs and HIV / AIDS by the members of the general body at these annual meetings are sent to the government for implementation and follow-up. The association also publishes a journal - The Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (IJSTD).