San Francisco Chronicle Concludes Five-Part Series Examining AIDS in India

In advance of the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, next week, when "[w]orld attention will focus on the threat AIDS poses to Asia," the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday began a five-part series on AIDS in India. Experts believe that the "key" to HIV/AIDS trends in Asia lie with India, the most populous nation in the world, according to the Chronicle. Other articles in the series focused on women and AIDS; AIDS among the country's commercial sex workers; prevention campaigns at truck stops; and underfunded treatment programs in the country (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/7). A summary of the final article in the series appears below:

• "Unanswered Questions: Epidemic Imperils the Future; Nation Could Face Africa-Like Disaster": India, where 0.5% of the population -- or 4.6 million people -- are HIV-positive, spends only about 11 cents per capita on the disease. According to the Chronicle, the Indian government's plan to handle the epidemic was "not an issue" in the country's recent election. In addition, the "epidemiological picture" of AIDS in India is "not clear," compared with countries in Africa, where "sexual networks" and cultural practices related to the disease are well-documented, the Chronicle reports (Russell, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/8).