29-08-2013, 03:23 PM
HIV/AIDS
INTRODUCTION
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome): a weakening of the immune system by the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV.
The sufferer loses the ability to fight infection, and may fall victim to illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, and tumours.
It was first identified in the early 1980s, but the first case of the disease may have occurred much earlier - in Africa in the late 1950s (BBC 2005).
In India, HIV was first detected in 1986. Since then there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of HIV infection.
MODES OF TRANSMISSION OF HIV/AIDS
Unprotected sexual intercourse
Blood transfusion
Sharing unsterilized metal equipment
Mother-to-child transmission
CGE MODEL
This model is a multi-sectoral, neoclassical type price driven CGE model. The overall structure of this model is similar to the one presented in Arndt and Lewis (2001). However, in formulating the details of the model, an eclectic approach keeping in mind the institutional features peculiar to the Indian economy have been followed. The model has five production sectors and three factors of production - land, capital and composite labour, which in turn, is a nested CES aggregation of non-educated (unskilled), secondary-educated (semiskilled)and higher-educated (skilled) labour8.
In descending order – of the five sectors(Agriculture,Tourism Manufacturing, Services ,Healthcare) of the Indian economy, experiences the second highest loss of 21 percent in its value added in the ‘with-AIDS’ scenario ascompared to ‘no-AIDS’ scenario. Moreover, it may be recalled that, the AIDS-related death rate is highest for unskilled labour, followed by that of semi-skilled labour and skilled labour, in that order. Hence, a priori, an inverse relationship between the sectoral unskilled labour intensity and the sectoral with-AIDS/no-AIDS value added ratio is likely to hold.
The sectors of the Indian
economy
In our extended CGE model, the Indian industry is disaggregated into 16 constituent sectors.Over and above, we have the agricultural sector and 11 other sectors covering all the services. In other words, the economy is made of 28 producing sectors, 16 of which comprise its industrial activities. The 05 sectors of production of Indian Economy are as follows :
Agriculture
Agriculture, in our sectoral classification,is very broadly defined to include all the food, cash and plantation crops, animal husbandry, forestry and logging, and fishing. Thus defined, agriculture produces 22 percent of India’s GDP. In a three-sector division of the Indian economy – agriculture (primary sector), industry (secondary sector) and services (tertiary sector) – agriculture has the highest unskilled labour intensity, definedas the share of unskilled labour in total sectoral labour value-added. The share of unskilled labour in total sectoral valueadded is also the maximum in case of agriculture. However, agriculture has the lowest intensities for semi-skilled labour,skilled labour and capital.
NATIONAL AIDS CONTROL ORGANISATION (NACO)
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), established in 1992, is a division of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control programme in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, and is "the nodal organisation for formulation of policy and implementation of programs for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India.
In 2010, NACO approved the Teach AIDS curriculum for use in India, an innovation which represented the first time that HIV/AIDS education could be provided in a curriculum which did not need to be coupled with sex education.
In 1992 India’s first National AIDS Control Programme NACP-I 1992-1999 was launched.
The ultimate aim of it was to slow down the spread of HIV infection and the impact of AIDS through various programmes and provisions. These were:-
i)Intersectoral collaboration
ii)HIV and AIDS surveillance
iii)Targetted intervention for high risk groups
iv)Condom promotion programme
v)sexually transmitted infection (STI) programme
vi)Blood safety Programme
SUGGESTION
A person can avoid HIV infection by abstaining from sex, by having a mutually faithful sexual relationship with an uninfected partner or by practising safer sex.
Babies born to HIV-infected mothers can be protected against HIV infection if the mother receives antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and at delivery.
Health care workers in medical or dental settings where HIV may be present should practise "universal standard precautions" for protecting themselves and patients from HIV and all other blood-borne infections. Universal standard precautions require the consistent use of sterile techniques and garments, whenever and wherever blood or body fluids may be present.