Public Health
At present AIF’s Public Health pillar is fully concentrated on HIV/AIDS work. We plan to expand to other public health concerns in the future.
Recent figures of HIV/AIDS infections among adults and children in India are estimated at 5.1 million. India has the second largest HIV positive population after South Africa. Without appropriate action and given the risk factors in India (see box below), some predict the infection levels will rise as high as 20 to 25 million by 2010, or equal to the combined population of London, New York and Tokyo. This is the time to act!
On World AIDS Day 2005 both President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed these immediate needs. President Clinton said, “when one takes into account the current HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa and the Caribbean, combined with the potential explosion of infections in China, India and eastern Europe and the fact that AIDS kills 8,500 people every day, we must redouble our efforts to reverse the tide.”
Prime Minister Singh reiterated his 2004 message to the nation’s youth:
• “lead by example and lead from the front… be the agent of change that you seek in others"
• “inform your friends and empower them to make safe choices. Act locally to create a global impact!”
• “promise to uphold the dignity of every person living with HIV in our country by love, affection, and social support.”