Both these news stories are cut from the same mold. They whine about lack of political determination or commitment on Burma's borders. And they do not say what should be done with this commitment. Yawn.

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‘Political determination must to check HIV’
Source: The Sangai Express / Addie Chiphang
Ukhrul, November 02: Strong political determination is a must to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS in the State, observed Dr Khomdon Lisham. Addressing a one day political advocacy programme on HIV/AIDS organised by RJD Manipur, former project director of Manipur AIDS Control Society Dr Khomdon Lisham noted that to institute laws and impose social restrictions by the State Government or by social organisations to control the drug menace and HIV infection without analysing the causes and circumstances leading youths to go ashtray and become victims of HIV would be a blunder on the part of the Government and social organisations.

Prohibitions imposed on drug abuse and penalties awarded to HIV afflicted persons would never be counted as fitting political measure, he asserted.

Stressing on the importance of adopting a political stand on the issue of HIV/AIDS in Manipur, Dr Khomdon took serious note of the failure of the State Government to sanction a single rupee to check the ever aggravating problem of HIV infection even as the menace has reached alarming proportion in the State.

Despite the prohibitions imposed against drug abuse and various forms of penalties awarded to the victims of HIV/AIDS and drug abusers were done with the good intention to rescue the youths from the ever widening jaws of HIV/AIDS, such measures adopted in line with the own thinking of the groups concerned are not the best means to contain the menace, noted Dr Khomdon.

He also observed that the principal mode of HIV infection has become sex rather than intravenous injection of drugs.

Today's advocacy programme was also attended by former Chief Minister W Nipamacha, MLA Soram Natum and RJD vice-president Hengkhulet Khongsai as chief guest, president and guest of honour respectively.
http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=10..031106.nov06

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HIV/AIDS: WHO finds prevention programme in SE Asia poor  
Bangkok Post - November 1, 2006
Apiradee Treerutkuarkul  

http://www.aegis.org/news/bp/2006/BP061101.html

Southeast Asia's Aids prevention programme is failing due to a lack of commitment to fighting the epidemic across the region, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday. "The Southeast Asia region is not an exception to the documented global low coverage in prevention services," Thierry Mertens, special adviser to the WHO Regional Office for Southeast Asia, said in a regional meeting attended by medical experts from 11 countries yesterday.

"Despite effective interventions such as condom use, the coverage of these prevention interventions across the region has been poor."  

Southeast Asian countries still face high risks of a massive spread of the HIV
virus, mainly due to people's ignorance about condom use and the high prevalence of sexual transmission of the disease, he said.  

According to a WHO report from 2005, there are an estimated 6.7 million people
living with HIV/Aids in the Southeast Asian region. This year's figures will be
released on World Aids Day on Dec 1.  

A recent survey of more than 1,000 people carried out by a Thai non-governmental organisation suggested that up to 17% of male homosexuals living in urban areas were HIV positive.  

Dr Mertens said a lack of political commitment, weak healthcare services and
insufficient human resources were hampering efforts to fight the spread of HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis C across the region.  

Public health permanent secretary Prat Boonyawongvirote said yesterday that condom use had to be boosted as a part of the national HIV prevention campaign.  

Health officials will also focus on scaling up access to the current antiretroviral
treatment programme, he said.  

Another 30,000 HIV-positive patients will be placed on the programme to receive
the locally made generic antiretroviral drug GPO-vir, he said.  

So far, 82,000 out of a total 304,265 Thai people registered as living with
HIV/Aids have been placed on the programme.