Petrathan Pillaiya ??? (World AIDS day)

December 1, World AIDS day, as we remember today, many are travelling the unknown path with this killer disease called AIDS. A sudden fear of death gripped the hearts of mankind when this deadly disease was first detected in Haiti USA in 1981. Since then, over a 2 million deaths have been reported due to this disease and many more unaccounted deaths too.

Our land is also one of the most effected places due to this killer disease. HIV has spread among the general population in India because the epidemic has followed the 'type 4' pattern. This is where new infections occur first among the most vulnerable populations (such as injecting drug users and female sex workers), then spread to 'bridge' populations (clients of sex workers and sexual partners of drug users) and then finally enter the general population. Most of the people becoming infected are in the sexually active and economically productive 15 to 44 age group. This means that most people living with HIV are in the prime of their working lives. Many are supporting families.

Statistics say that there are more than 2500 children in Chennai who are affected with AIDS. There are much more in fact even double the amount of children who are actually affected and are unaccounted for and do not fall under any category which means they are not eligible for any benefits provided by the government or any other NGO’s. These children do not even get the basic attention which other HIV effected children get.

The biggest concern is that our country has one of the lowest treatment coverage rates; with only 7 out of a hundred people infected with the disease get access to life-saving antiretroviral drugs. India has the highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS and 70% of HIV infections in Asia. But only 7% of people infected with the virus have access to treatment. The only bit of good news is that HIV prevalence among young men and women in southern India appears to have dropped in recent years.

However our government has hopes to diagnose and treat hundreds of very young HIV-positive children under the National Paediatric HIV/AIDS Initiative. It will also free paediatric dosages of anti-retroviral medicines to children living with this disease. Finally our government has launched a specific programme to treat children living with HIV/AIDS that will for the first time in the country allow children under the age of 18 months to be diagnosed. According to an official estimates, 202,000 Indian children are currently infected with HIV and about 56,700 HIV-infected children are born every year.

What are we going to do to save this set of people from destruction? We are all the children of this earth and it is our responsibility to save others and many AIDS effected children. There are many schemes launched by our government and other NGO’s to protect these people. We could also lend a helping hand along with our fellow strong men towards this noble cause. You can adopt a child, or help a family, or take care of an elderly person.

“ Petrathan Pillaiya” is a campaign which was launched this year which grabbed my attention towards it. May be the name of the campaign or the way in which they launched it because kamal Hassan donated Rs. 750000 which will be used as premium to be paid through which 1000 HIV affected children will come under a pension scheme. But nothing of that matters if you and I start fighting against this killer and save the lost and the redeem them back to the light. Petrathan Pillaiya? Even other wise adopt a child as yours and lend out a helping hand for them.