The Union minister for health and family welfare, Dr. C.P.Thakur has said that the government would scale up the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. In the first phase of the programme, all medical colleges in high prevalence States would be covered followed by the districts in the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Manipur and Nagaland; and thereafter other medical college hospitals in the country. All these institutions would start delivery of PMTCT services by the end of December 2002, Dr Thakur said, while addressing the Consultative Committee meeting attached to the ministry here on May 9.

Mother-to-child transmission can be reduced by using anti-retroviral drugs like AZT (zidovudine or nevirapine). Emphasizing the priority given by the government to National AIDS Control Programme with the higher budgetary allocation as compared to other health programmes, the minister said that the spread of HIV/AIDS infection had undermined social and economic development throughout the world and had affected all levels of society. He added that the sentinel surveillance data clearly indicates that even though the number of AIDS patients is still growing, the rate at which the infection is spreading is showing a declining trend in the last three years. In the absence of any treatment for the cure of the disease effective implementation of prevention and control strategies can help in checking the transmission of HIV infection, the minister said.

According to a ministry release, Dr. Thakur informed the Consultative Members that to minimize the risk of transmission of HIV infection through blood and blood products, the government has taken a series of measures. The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules provide mandatory testing of blood for HIV in addition to other blood transmissible diseases namely Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C, Malaria and Syphilis. Strengthening of blood banks has been taken up by the government up to district level hospitals. All these measures had reduced the percentage of HIV infection occurring through blood transfusion from 8 per cent in 1992 to 3.4 per cent in

2001.

The Minister also dwelled on the National Anti-Malaria Programme (NAMP). The programme is being further intensified during the X Five Year Plan period by integration of ongoing control programmes for malaria, filariasis and Kala-Azar and also including a component for Dengue/DHF as well as Japanese Encephalitis prevention and control. The major thrust during the Tenth Plan will not only be on effective malaria control but also concerted efforts are being planned for Kala-Azar Elimination and Filariasis Elimination from the country.

The consultative committee members suggested attempts should be made to motivate more people to attend the family health awareness campaigns especially in the rural areas. Monitoring of the AIDS awareness campaigns by NGOs is a must for evaluating the targets. Other system of medicine like Ayurveda should be encouraged to find the treatment for the disease, the members said. Suggesting measures for National Anti-Malaria Programme, some members opined that the Malaria Eradication Programme should be as intensive as Polio Eradication Programme undertaken by the Government. Local NGOs, Panchayats and elected representatives should be associated more effectively in the implementation of this programme.