| Abstract: | The prevention and control of HIV/AIDS is a social as well as a public health issue. This approach is reflected in new policy initiatives developed by the Government of India's National AIDS Control Organization in 1997. Future strategies will be based on a multisectoral, partnership-oriented approach. Bilateral agencies are encouraged to establish interventions in areas such as sexually transmitted disease (STD) control, condom distribution, counseling, health care, and hospice care. Special campaigns focused on youth and adolescents, including the inclusion of HIV/AIDS in the school curriculum, are planned. New strategies will be developed to address the HIV risk associated with drug abuse. The home- and community-based care of HIV/AIDS patients will be promoted, with emphasis on emotional and social support needs. Other areas to be addressed include the integration of STD control with primary health care, a blood transfusion policy, education for commercial sex workers, an end to discrimination against people with AIDS, and expansion of the national sentinel surveillance system. |
