AIDS conference ends at PGI

ASTICON 2014, the 38th national conference of Indian Association of Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS, concluded at PGI.

The conference was organized by department of medical microbiology, PGIMER. Dr Anjelika Stary from Austria delivered a talk, 'What's new in STI'.

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day, observed on 1 December every year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease. Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control.

World AIDS Day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor Day, World Immunization Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Malaria Day and World Hepatitis Day. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day.

As of 2013, AIDS has killed more than 36 million people worldwide (1981-2012), and an estimated 35.3 million people are living with HIV,making it one of the most important global public health issues in recorded history. Despite recent improved access toantiretroviral treatment in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claims an estimated 2 million lives each year, of which about 270,000 are children.

Gender bender (By Neha Rathi)

I carried out a study on abortion behaviour among vulnerable women in Mumbai slums and villages in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra. I found that because of the strict implementation of the PreConception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in Maharashtra, many women were being denied abortion services, leading them to unsafe options.