The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Law on pre-marriage HIV testing?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Law on pre-marriage HIV testing?

Special Correspondent

Government likely to make HIV testing mandatory for couples before marriage, says Chief Minister

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday hinted that the Government was contemplating legislation for making every groom and bride undergo HIV test prior to marriage.

Launching `Balasahyoga', a US $4 million public-private initiative to improve the lives of HIV-infected children and their families in all the 23 districts, he said that he was at a loss to understand as to how such a measure would constitute violation of human rights. "What sort of human rights is this which allows you to transmit HIV to your partner?" he questioned.

He said that initially an awareness was being created on the issue to mobilise public opinion. He said the departments were conducting district-level awareness programmes and expressed the hope that every right-thinking person would fall in line with this approach and the problem of HIV/AIDS would be overcome.

Stating that preliminary data following various interventions in the State had shown that HIV prevalence had come down to 1.6 per cent from two per cent in 15 districts. He said that 600 testing centres were set up. An amount of Rs.7.7 crores was earmarked in the budget to establish care and support centres for HIV+ people, including children who were orphaned. Anti-retroviral treatment (ART) was being administered to more than 10,000 adults and 600 children.

Referring to the campaign to achieve "zero HIV infection" among new-borns, he said that protecting the next generation was vital.

More ART centres

Health Minister K. Rosaiah said, plans were afoot to increase the number of ART centres to 23 by the end of next March. Emphasising the need to increase awareness on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, he said that a survey among children below 15 years had revealed that 90 per cent of the boys and 74 per cent of girls had knowledge about the disease.

Later talking to reporters, Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) CEO Jamie Cooper-Hohn lauded the commitment of State Government in combating the dreadful disease. The other partners in Balasahyoga include CIEF, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), NACO and AP State AIDS Control Society.

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