Maharashtra has most new AIDS cases in India

MUMBAI: “A true AIDS epidemic is not a future possibility for Maharashtra; it is a present reality”, warns a pamphlet brought out by an NGO fighting against the spread of HIV. And this is not an alarmist tirade. In the last three years, Maharashtra has registered the largest number of new AIDS cases in India. The 98,578 fresh cases registered in the state since 2007 make up 23%—almost a quarter—of the 4,19,982 AIDS patients registered across the country.

Maharashtra was one of the earliest states in India where the disease manifested itself, registering its first AIDS case in Mumbai, in 1986. Lack of awareness, a large migrant population and a thriving sex trade have made it extremely difficult to combat the spread of HIV in the state. The National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) has drawn up a list of 49 districts in India with a “high prevalence” of HIV/AIDS, of which 14 are in Maharashtra.

According to a study conducted by Population Foundation of India, a Delhi-based NGO funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, workers in the hotel and tourism industry had the highest HIV prevalence among groups tested in the state, followed by drivers and the unemployed. Truck drivers, who travel long distances, brought the infection with them, often to areas where the disease had not yet penetrated.

What is worrying is that in Maharashtra, HIV is not confined to high-risk groups such as sex workers, but has entered the general population. Moreover, the disease is no longer an urban phenomenon, but has spread to rural areas as well. Now, even places like Latur, Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Sangli fall under NACO’s list of “high prevalence” districts.

Experts say this is because “bridge groups” contribute to the spread of the virus, referring to husbands who use the services of sex workers and then infect their wives with HIV, who in turn pass on the infection to their babies.

Since 2007, 10,371 persons have succumbed to the disease in Maharashtra, second only to Andhra Pradesh, where 12,879 people have died due to AIDS.

Public health experts say the disease can only be fought through proper counseling, awareness-raising measures, and accurate testing. J J Hospital in Byculla is one of 10 centres of excellence that are battling the advent of AIDS in India. And Maharashtra has 30 anti-retroviral treatment centres—the most in the country.

Olive Announces Triple SIM QWERTY Phone

The Olive brand is now famous in the country for one device they launched last month. Remember the Olive FrvrOn handset? Probably the only phone in the world to come in dual power options. The phone, apart from having a normal Li-Ion battery, also packed in a slot for an AA battery that can be used to power the phone for a few minutes in an emergency.

The same company has now announced the launch of the Wiz VGC800, a new triple SIM QWERTY mobile for the Indian market. Olive claims it is the first triple SIM phone to arrive in a QWERTY keypad form factor. The VGC800 supports two GSM SIM cards and a CDMA connection.

The phone is social networking ready and comes with Facebook Twitter, MSN and Yahoo clients. It also comes preloaded with Opera Mini for browsing needs. Thanks to the QWERTY keypad and a decent e-mail client, it can double up as a capable e-mail device as well.

Other features include a basic 2.0 megapixel camera. The screen is a not so large 2.2-inch one capable of displaying 262K colors. Connectivity options include Bluetooth and USB. It has a built in FM radio, stereo headset and speaker phone.

The Olive Wiz VGC800 is priced at Rs. 6,000.