Injecting drug users main reason for spread of HIV in NE:

Union Health Minister JP Nadda today said injecting drug users continue to be the prime factor for the spread of HIV-AIDS in north-eastern region even as the government has increased medical facilities for testing and treatment of people living with the illness.
"Prevalence amongst IDUs (Injecting Drug User) continues to be high and we are confronted with Female Injecting Drug Users (FIDUs) also. Though there has been expansion in various preventive interventions resulting into increased coverage of facilities for treatment of people living with HIV," the minister said.
He was speaking at the launch of Five-Year SUNRISE Project aimed at upscaling of HIV interventions in the north-east region with special focus on IDUs in 20 priority districts.

According to latest figures of NACO, HIV prevalence among adults in Manipur is to the extent of 1.1 per cent. Similarly, Nagaland is the only State in the country which has a prevalence of more than 1 per cent among the pregnant women.
"The levels of HIV prevalence have dropped. However, the data available at NACO, indicates that part of the North-East could not achieve the same kind of success, as has been recorded in other parts of the country," Nadda said.
The project SUNRISE will be implemented over a period of five years costing Rs 70 crore.

The Center for Disease Control, a US government body is supporting this programme, which will adopt innovative strategies like increasing availability of safe needle, syringes in remote areas, community based testing for HIV and pilot studies on 'take home' policy for opioid substitution drugs.

He said the budget for the National AIDS Control Programme has been increased by 15 per cent during the current Financial Year.
The government has also decided to make it a Central Sector Scheme in which all the funds would be provided by the Center.
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Meanwhile, addressing the convocation Nadda said the government has given high priority to improving nursing and midwifery cadre through skill development and continued professional development.
He said the government has undertaken major expansion of nursing and technical education leading to a three-fold increase in the numbers of nursing institutions and in the number of students passing out from them.

Nadda said some of the initiatives taken for strengthening nursing cadre are establishment of ANM/GNM schools, upgradation of institutions from school of nursing to college of nursing, training of nurses, development of 11 one-year specialisation courses, revision of curriculum for all nursing programs, new nurse practitioner courses, nurse practitioner in critical care program, etc.
The proposed Nursing Practice Act will empower nurses and more reforms can be done in nursing regulation, the Health Minister said.