Do not treat HIV as a killer disease

CHENNAI: HIV should no longer be treated as a killer disease. It is high time we start treating it like any other chronic disease such as diabetes or hypertension, said Dr  P Kuganandham, Health Officer, Chennai Corporation, on Tuesday.Speaking at an HIV Advocacy programme conducted for the Chennai Corporation officials, Dr Kuganandham said, “With proper nutrition, a healthy frame of mind, exercise and treatment, people affected with HIV are now living for more than 20 years, enjoying good quality of life. We have come to a point when HIV should no longer be treated as a killer disease. It is high time we start treating it like any other chronic disease such as diabetes or hypertension.” Dr Kuganandham also advised corporation officials to strengthen the understanding and the relationship they enjoyed with their spouses. He said, “In the West, married couples have this practice of saying ‘I love you’ to each other every morning. Why should we not start practising such good practices?” He claimed that a majority of those who visited prostitutes for sexual pleasure were married men (60 percent and more). “They are also the ones who contract HIV and pass it on to their wives,” he added. He said, “Strengthening the familial bond is very important.” A.C. Mohandoss, Project Director, TANSACS, highlighted the importance of safe disposal of biological waste from hospitals. He said, “In many hospitals, blood-stained cotton and needles used on HIV patients are left lying carelessly. A person with a wound can contract HIV by coming in contact with such stuff. Hospitals should pay attention to the process of disposing such waste materials.”