International Meet on HIV/AIDS in Patna
Patna: May 16, 2008
 Former Union Health Minister Dr. C. P. Thakur, at the inaugural of the three-day HIV/AIDS Training Camp in Patna on Friday, said that the number of Kala Azar patients also inflicted with HIV/AIDS virus was increasing dramatically and that was a cause of alarm for the entire medical community.
Dr. Thakur said the number of patients with both Kala Azar and HIV was significantly low just a few years ago but in recent years there had been a sharp rise in that number and this must be addressed without delay.
The event organized by the Regional AIDS Training Center and Network in India (RATNEI), a training unit of International Health Organization, was also attended by RATNEI Medical Director Dr. Diwakar Tejaswi, Bihar State AIDS Control Society Joint Director Dr. Devendra Prasad, and Dr. G. P. Mallick.
Appreciating the efforts of RATNEI in the field of advancement of AIDS awareness, Dr. Thakur stressed the need for setting up Viral Load Assessment Machines in Bihar hospitals for speedy evaluation of the disease.
Dr. Tejaswi in his welcome speech said that it was important for AIDS Patients to adhere to the treatment for suppressing the virus load to desirable level of less than 50 copies/ml of blood at the end of 6 months to one year of treatment.
More than 50 participants from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar are attending the training program that concludes on May 18th.
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