The HIV / AIDS epidemic in India: are we doing enough?

Despite the implemented prevention and control program in India, evidence shows that as of mid-1998, there are 3.5 million HIV-infected adults. In addition, the virus was noted to have spread from urban areas to rural areas and from high-risk to the general population. It is noted that the failure of the prevention program may have been because it has singled out the epidemic and has given it too much attention, often to the exclusion of other important issues. This paper argues that treating the epidemic as a problem separate from the problems of development has been counterproductive. Although disease-specific programs are needed, the rapid spread of the disease and its severe impact has to do with deep-rooted developmental problems that cannot be tackled only with such programs. It is recommended that these developmental problems be addressed in order to slow down the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India.